Final Mission Status
by Zapenstap
Summary: To buy time for the Preventers to organize a strike against a deranged terrorist, Relena must participate in a mission. For one week, in a house wired with cameras, Relena must pretend she is married... to Heero Yuy.
1. Mission Proposal

A/N: This idea was inspired by an episode of La Femme Nikita and a love for GW and 1xR.  We like Mysterious Heero.  We don't claim to own any of it, though.  Enjoy!

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Final Mission Status Coauthored by Mizaya and Zapenstap 

Something about the situation troubled her instincts.

Relena strode purposefully down the main corridor of Preventer Headquarters, unruffled in her outward appearance, her business suit pressed and perfect, her hair clean and combed, high-heeled shoes clicking obnoxiously on the black marble tiles.  She smiled at passing officers who bowed to her in respect, every eye recognizing Who She Was, every face overtly pleased to see her.  It made her feel good that all her hard work paid off with such admiration and respect, that her sacrifice to her work produced this much cooperation for the good of the greater world, but inside she was confused, anxious; something was wrong.  

Only an hour before, Lady Une called her at home, waking her from sleep, and told to be in her office at 8 o'clock sharp.  The Preventer Commander's tone had been suspiciously austere, her directions cryptic.  When Relena had questioned her to find out if anything was amiss, the woman had hung up on her.  Was it Heero, she wondered?  Perhaps the way she felt about him was obvious, enough so that they would call her if something horrible had happened, but then again, as far as she knew her feelings were unrequited, and therefore irrelevant.  The line of thought was paranoid, but still, something was off.  

Relena walked passed Une's quiet secretary without needing to announce herself and stepped directly into the office.  She was immediately surprised.   Her brother sat on one of the two chairs that faced Une at her desk.  Trowa was there as well, sitting unobtrusively in a chair up against the right wall, legs crossed, so still that an unobservant eye might have overlooked him.  Standing before her one-time enemy, her estranged brother, and a Gundam Pilot, all three in their Preventer uniforms, Relena felt decidedly singled-out.  Her casual gray business suit appeared very civilian next to the sharply pressed jackets and proud gold buttons of these veteran soldiers.

"Vice Foreign Minister."  Lady Une rose and gestured to the seat next to Zechs, which Relena took gracefully, not sure if she should acknowledge her brother and the Gundam Pilot in friendly fashion or adhere to the seriousness of the atmosphere.  "Thank you for coming on such short notice," Une continued in a disarming, but not deceiving tone.  "I hope this meeting didn't alter your plans too terribly."

"Not at all," she reassured, but with the air this tense, she wanted to dismiss with pleasantries.  The people in this room knew one another personally.  What was this about?  What had happened?   "Commander Une, there is something you need to tell me personally.  Please, just tell me what it is."

Une nodded and picked up her vidscreen remote, the gesture with her right arm turning all their attention to the picture above her desk as it changed from a glowing blue line to the image of a large, white-haired old man in a tuxedo.  "We have a situation on hand that is nearing the critical point.  Do you recognize this man, Miss Darlian?"

He certainly looked familiar.  A friendly old man in a tuxedo asking her to dance came to mind.  She inversely remembered what she had been wearing, and then mentally placed the time and location of the event.  "Is that Mr. Cole from the ESUN ball last year?" She had danced with him several times and remembered a particularly long conversation with him about her plans for peace and their mutual fondness for Van Gogh. 

"William Cole," Une said, "is a wealthy ore-miner in the United States.  Nevada.  I received a message from him three days ago.  It turns out that in his expeditions around Yucca Mountain he uncovered these."  She flicked a button on the remote and the image switched to display a row of large cement cylinders, roughly twenty feet high and as wide across by the indication of the surroundings.

"I'm not sure I understand."

A grimace tightened Une's face as though she wasn't excited about explaining.  "In the 21st century, the United States government decided to move all if its nuclear energy waste into storage containers such as these, which were then buried underground in what was at the time the safest method.  Years later, after improved technology resulted in more frequent, more reliable space travel, it was believed that all of the containers were disposed of into the sun, where the nuclear materials couldn't accidentally leak or get into the wrong hands."  She pointed again to the picture on the screen.  "However, these containers somehow escaped destruction, and our satellite information tells us that William Cole does in fact have seventeen of them."

Relena's fingers were cold with sudden apprehension, but it was not entirely because of the danger represented by this threat. She looked around the room, studying her position in it.  Terrorist threats weren't exactly a new concept to Relena, but normally she would not be told anything about it until the information was contained and a counter mission against planned and ready to be executed.  A simple report would then be sent to her office, sometimes for approval, but usually more to keep her informed.  Having to sit personally through a debriefing was highly unusual.  The Preventers had never before acted so furtive around her when laying the groundwork for a potential crisis.  Relena's expression tightened gravely, her eyes latching onto Lady Une's face in the confident and imperious manner that made her infamous during political debates. "What does this have to do with me?"

Lady Une glanced at Trowa.  His arms were crossed over his chest, his expression yielding little advice or assurance.  Sighing, Lady Une turned back to Relena, her voice taking on a peculiar tone, as if she were about to report some kind of tragedy in Relena's personal life.  "In his message," Lady Une said, "Cole demanded one thing in exchange for the nuclear waste."  The pregnant pause in between Une's words confirmed to Relena that something was indeed wrong.  "He asked for your hand in marriage."

A flash of white light obscured Relena's thoughts, and for a few moments her mind was empty.  "What?" she said, as if she hadn't heard, or hadn't understood, though she had done both.  It was just not what she had expected, what she had been preparing herself for.  When her surprise faded, she cast her eyes to the window, watching a lone bird fly past, and wondered what it was she was thinking.  Certainly, this was an unexpected development.  The old man, Mr. Cole, had been friendly, and she had danced with him as she danced with many officials and many functions throughout the progression of her career, but it hadn't been anything more than affable, friendly; a kind young woman entertaining an older gentleman.

"We're not going to make you do it," Trowa said stoically.

Relena jumped, turning back to them.  "Oh, no, I wasn't thinking that.  I just… I don't understand."

Lady Une nodded.  "Since your last encounter, Mr. Cole has developed a serious obsession with you, Miss Darlian, but it was clear from our correspondence that he is not in charge of all of his faculties." 

Now that Relena thought about it, maybe he had been a bit more eager to talk to her than the other guests at the ball.  And she had perhaps been asked to dance by him more times than anyone else.  She had thought him old and kindly, perhaps a little lonely, but never had she suspected something like this.  It was a lot to swallow at one time. 

Lady Une sighed, putting her hands on her desk, and lifted her head to look Relena in the eye.  "William Cole claimed that if you did not marry him then he would release the radiation from the containers.  We have reason to believe that his mental imbalance is such that this threat is not a bluff."

Relena raised a hand to her face, looking down at the carpet as she contemplated the crisis.  She understood the risk.  There was a possibility of nuclear fallout, leading to destruction of the world's plant life and eventually the loss of invaluable human and animal life.  It was not a risk she could accept, nor something that her emotions and personal concern could possibly outweigh.  She responded in a collected voice, cool under pressure, always putting her job before her personal life.  It was a disciplinary element required of someone in her position; she would do whatever she had to if the ignorant public was to be protected.  "What have you decided on as the best plan of action to prevent this tragedy?  Do you want me to marry this man?"

"You're not going to marry a psychopathic terrorist, Relena," Zechs said in a voice that could crack stone.

"No," Trowa said.  "That would serve little purpose and would make you look weak in the eyes of the people.  We can't give into this threat, nor be certain that this man will abide by any contract."

"Then what is the counter mission?" Relena asked.

"There is only one thing that will appease William Cole," Lady Une told her,  "or at least delay his demand to give us time to prepare and execute our strike.  And that is if you are already married."  

Relena just stared at the Preventer Commander.  A quick glance at Trowa and her brother revealed that they had decided to become statues.  

Lady Une's lips twitched in something like a mischievous smile.  "He was disappointed to hear that you had recently eloped, secretly, of course, so as to avoid the press."  Relena's eyes widened.  "However," Lady Une continued, "he still wants to meet with you, and though he has agreed not to carry out his threat as long as you are wed to another, he wants to meet with you to convince you to choose him over your so-called husband.  I told him that we would deliver his demands and he allowed you a week to consider his proposal.  The meeting will take place at a location of his choice, assuredly his stronghold where he has the most power.  He refused to come here."  Clearing her throat, Une moved on.  "This will give our team enough time to execute our plans to ensure the containment of the nuclear waste and also your safety."

Relena felt somewhat dazed.  She knew this plan had come from Milliardo.  Looking out for his little sister meant that she was left out of the loop until it was too far gone to keep her innocent.  Now, she found herself immersed in something that she couldn't back out of: a mission.  Maybe he thought that at age twenty-one she was grown up enough to take care of herself.  But no, on second thought, she knew that wasn't true.  Standing stiffly, she eyed the room and searched for something to say.  "I trust that you will handle this matter in the most discreet way possible.  We can't let the general public think that I'm married."

"Relena, sit back down.  There's something more we haven't told you," Lady Une admonished.  Zechs scowled noticeably.  "Officer Barton?"

Trowa stood, his tall, serious form imposing as he walked gracefully over to the desk to accept the vid remote from Une.  "As head of Internal Affairs, it is my task to oversee the Preventers themselves," he explained formally.  "Yesterday, during routine surveillance, I was privy to communications between William Cole and this recruit."  He hit the same button that Une had been using and brought up a picture of a vaguely familiar young man.  It was actually two angles, one of his face straight on and the other of his profile: his Preventer identification mug shots.  "Private Douglas Richmond has been uncovered as a mole, bought by William Cole to do some surveillance work of his own to verify our statements.  Cole has paid him a considerable amount of money to install hidden cameras in your residence to make sure that what Commander Une told him was true."  At that moment Trowa's stoic mask melted for an instant and he gave her a regretful look.  "He made the statement that if he discovers that you are not married, he will open the containers before your meeting next week."

Now Relena was alarmed.  How could they possibly prove that she was married?  "So I assume we have to change the plans and formulate an emergency sting." Now she understood why they had called her in personally.  They were concerned that their glib lies had put not only her, but also the entire world in serious danger.

"No."  Une extended her arm out to Trowa.  "That will be all, Officer Barton."

"Commanders, Vice Foreign Minister."  After handing the remote back to Une and making a polite bow, Trowa left the three of them alone.  Despite the fact that she and Trowa were friendly acquaintances, he took his duties to the Preventers very seriously.

Relena waited for Une to explain her answer in greater detail, but by the way she pushed her hair behind her ears and the way her brother was smoothing out his already smooth pants, she could tell they were nervous, holding back something tremendous.  She swung her gaze between them, growing increasingly irritated about having been left in the dark.  "What exactly is going on here?" she demanded.  "Tell me everything, Milliardo."  She rarely used such a tone anymore, but in this case she could tell that she needed to.  They were trying to break whatever it was to her easily, like she wasn't strong, and this was not the time or place to coddle her.

Her brother was loath to speak.  "Relena, it has been my decision, or our decision rather, that the best course of action is to avoid backpedaling and proceed with our mission in one week.  We will turn a blind eye and allow Private Richmond to install cameras in your house.  This situation is too dangerous for risky maneuvers and Cole is a loose cannon.  We fear that anything out of the ordinary could set him off."

"Then someone is going to play my husband for a camera?" she asked in disbelief.  

Lady Une opened her mouth to answer but Zechs halted her with his hand.  "I will be leading the team that escorts you to Nevada, Relena.  Until that time, we will be working day and night to avert any disaster from occuring.  Trowa will stay here and keep an eye on our mole.  Noin, Chang, and I will be organizing the tactical aspects.  Maxwell is in charge of leading Sally Po and her group to shut down security around the nuclear waste containers and prepare them for removal."  Relena nodded, assessing the intelligent assignment of roles.  She waited impatiently for the rest.  "Someone will have to act as your new husband," Zechs said at last in distaste.

"It's going to have to be convincing," Lady Une added quietly.  "That the two of you are newlyweds.  Really convincing."

Relena turned to look at her, puzzled, her apprehension growing.  They wouldn't…

"It might be hard for you," Lady Une added, almost gently, "considering."

Relena knew that there were only five men left living in the world that her brother would even consider for a mission like this.  Three of them were on the mission with him.  One of the others was in outer space running a huge family business.  That left the last one.  Or the first one, in actuality.  Her heart sped up, vibrating in her chest, her body warm and weak, her fingers cold, her voice thick. 

"Heero," she breathed. 

TBC

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Mizaya: I hope you enjoyed the first installment of my new fanfic.

Zapenstap: OUR new fanfic.

Mizaya:….right.

Zapenstap: I'm the one who made you watch Gundam Wing in the first place. 

Mizaya:  And that La Femme Nikita episode.

Zapenstap:  Yep. Just the one.  But the similarities are compelling. O_O  Michael has Heero's eyes, and he is the perfect operative.  And Nikita is blonde and blue-eyed and fiery, and though Relena is not an operative, she can do a mission in this fic…

Mizaya:  -_-  Yes, I know.  But I'm the one who pressured us to write a fic about it.  And I'm the science consultant!

Zapenstap: I thought this was a fic about Heero and Relena's struggle to express their undying love for one another!

Mizaya: I thought it was about crazy old men, nuclear fallout, and unclear lemony situations.

Zapenstap: Can't it be about both?

Mizaya: ^_^ Sure, as long I get to write about blowing up stuff…like Dorothy!

Zapenstap: O_o We never discussed that!  Is she even in the story?  She's not THAT bad!

Mizaya: Mwuahahaha! *maniacal grin*

Zapenstap: Um, how about we decide that when we get to it?  We don't even know if people will like the fic yet, silly.

Mizaya: I know.  I get ahead of myself with the mass destruction. *plots evilness*

Zapenstap: I'm putting you in a straightjacket now.

Mizaya: Okay, I'll stop.  Let's ask the readers to please review!

Zapenstap: Okay! ^_^ Please review!


	2. Mission Accepted

Final Mission Status

Chapter Two 

By Mizaya and Zapenstap

_They can't be serious._

But Relena knew they were.  She didn't remember leaving the office, or any tail-end conversation that had passed between herself and Commander Une.  Experience and a gift for poise under pressure assured her that she had remained calm and collected even when her heart seemed to crumple inside her chest like a bag imploding from depressurization.  She felt light-headed at first as she walked back down the hallway of the Preventer Headquarters, half drunk with visions that swam before her eyes, wishing she could touch the wall or hold onto a rail to steady herself.

The passing Preventers who smiled at her didn't even register.  She nodded to them out of habit, and moved in as graceful and straight a line as she could manage, but her thoughts were a whirlwind.  Memories of that man, William Cole, smiling at her as he sipped on a dry martini and offered her strawberries to go with her champagne mixed with visions of nuclear destruction.  Radioactive waste, byproduct from the uranium and plutonium used in fission, stored in seventeen concrete tubs in Nevada, now in the hands of a crazy terrorist whose only demand was to marry _her.   It was not a global risk, not like a nuclear bomb, but if Cole opened those containers, the western United States would face a medical and environmental hazard with yet unknown far-reaching consequences.  _

To stop him they needed time, and to gain that time Relena needed to be married.  Not only on paper, but also in seeming reality because she was going to be watched, by a mole in the Preventers.  Relena stopped walking, putting a hand to her forehead to stop the spinning.  The man who would be playing her husband, living in her home, but still protecting her…  Heero Yuy.

            He must have known that right from the start there was something about him that drew her near.  How could he not, the way she had chased him around the world, worrying about him, about his life, his body, and his heart, despite his telling her to stop, that he wasn't worth it, that those things were not important to his mission?  Something in her cared about Heero in a way she had never cared about anyone, perhaps trying to compensate for the injustice that had been done to him, and she hadn't even known why, not for the longest time.  It was clear to her now that back then Heero had represented a pureness to her in an otherwise shaken world, a strength and natural kindness that would not, could not be compromised.  She wanted it.  She had wanted to _be_ like that.  And somehow that had turned into wanting _him_, into _loving him.  But she smothered such feelings, because she knew they were impossible.  Over the six years since their first meeting on that deserted beach, Relena had tried to get Heero Yuy out of her mind, allowing her thoughts to wander to him only when she was lonely and desperate and needing to know he was out there just to comfort herself.  She always caught herself thinking on him, relying on him, wishing he could be near, despite the fact that they rarely even spoke anymore.  He always just showed up when she needed him, silent, unexpressive, smiling at her sometimes, listening if she forced herself to speak, and then departing as abruptly as he came.  Deep in her heart, she felt—no, she knew—that for him at least, it was work._

Or was it?  If there was anything more between them on his side, he had never made any indication of it.  She had spent six years loving him while pretending not to.  Now, with this new mission, she was afraid that he would spend the next six days pretending to love her when he really didn't.  And if that was so, could she bear it, or would it break her?  

Relena brushed her hair out of her eyes, walking half-blind now, and flushed when she bumped into someone.  She was so dazed that she hadn't even watched where she was going around the corner until her face had rammed into a man's chest. Embarrassed, she spoke an apology under her breath, stepping back from the Preventer uniform, trying not to blush excessively.  He grabbed her wrist, steadying her, and when she regained her balance enough to look up into his face—a moment only since their collision—she gasped.

Heero's eyes were like a hawk's, bright and sharp beneath a mass of thick, dark hair that angled over his face and eyes.  He wore a Preventer's coat, though he wasn't strictly a Preventer, the earthy tones of brown and back complimenting his dark coloring and outlining the set of his shoulders and slender, toned body.  Relena froze, head jerking back as her eyes widened.

"You all right?"  His tones were earthy too; deep and dark, not rumbling like thunder, but smooth and solid and strong.

Relena stepped back, pursing her lips and folding her hands as she met him in the eyes, hiding her emotions behind a mask oriented toward putting aside her whims and doing her duty.  Taking a deep breath, she stole away the part of herself that longed to collapse against this man and feel him embrace her in mutual weakness.   "Heero," she greeted him soberly, "I was just looking for you."  She paused, hoping it looked like she was choosing her words when in reality it was because her heart lurched in her chest, pitter-pattering with an almost violent beat.  "It appears…" She fumbled, the words twisting on her tongue.  Only Heero could make her lose track of her speech.  She flushed unconsciously.  "I've just returned from Commander Une's office.  Due to a critical situation in the Northern Hemisphere and a combination of extenuating circumstances, it appears as though…" She had to force it out, "as though you and I are going to be working on a mission together."

Heero's eyes narrowed.  "Relena-"

"Lady Une has informed me of a terrorist threat," she interrupted, almost frantic now to be finished with it, to let the void wrap around her and carry her into oblivion.  She closed her eyes, her stomach shaking, fighting to hold onto her outward calm.  "Large nuclear waste canisters have been discovered by a man that I-" 

A strong grip on her upper arm made her cut off her words and focus.  Her eyelids flew open to see Heero's eyes staring at her with an impenetrable gaze, those midnight irises shrouded from invasion by a hardness that was colder and thicker than steel.  Now that she was looking she couldn't tear her eyes away, her mouth falling open into a gape, not sure how to tell him, unable to anticipate his reaction.  What would he do, learning the situation, what would he think?  She was distracted by the thought that, despite its hardness, his face was beautiful. 

Looking into that face, she found the strength to say what she had to.  "Heero, about the mission.  You are I are supposed to pretend…"

"I know."

Her eyes popped, her head shrinking, hands falling limp at her hands.  "You do?"  It was a struggle to say, a breath out of a void of possible answers and reactions.  It changed everything.  As her collected exterior disintegrated, things came into a new light.  Here they were, his fingers around her arm, his body so close she could smell his musky aftershave…and he knew.  And there was no reaction, no apology, no consideration or reassurance or cooperation in his expression.  No emotion.

"This has been a developing situation for some time, Relena."

It wasn't often that Relena couldn't think of anything to say, but as his words sunk in, they seemed to disappear into a vortex of blank space.  Her mind was an empty husk. At first she wondered if he knew the whole of it, but then she realized that of course he did.  She was always the last to know.  Her brother had probably told Heero of this mission days ago.  Maybe his reaction then would have told her something, would have revealed some emotional conflict or doubt or struggle.  But maybe not.  Maybe he had just accepted the order like he did everything else.

Heero let go of her arm and resumed his typical stance, hands at his sides and back straight.  In his neat Preventer uniform, his image was that of an eternal soldier, something that was only half real, human only in unguarded moments of weakness.  "Here," he said.  "This is for you."  He reached into his pocket and handed her a small red box, shaped like a heart.  Relena accepted it with cold hands, her fingers numb, recognizing it as a box from a jewelry store on the other side of town, one she liked. "You might as well start wearing it now," Heero told her. His eyes did not change. "Don't worry about what people say.  Rumor will help and the misconceptions can be cleared up later."  His arm fell away from her when she took the box.  

Traitorous fingers shook slightly as Relena opened it.  The wedding ring inside was beautiful, just what she would have picked out, a two carat diamond sparkling brilliantly in a setting of white gold, an antique style with filigree scrollwork fading into the band.  It was breathtaking.

"Heero," she whispered, forgetting for just a moment that this was not a real proposal, her heart thumping in her chest, her body warm and wishing suddenly for the comfort of another.  She smiled as she took the ring from the box, turning it around between her thumb and forefinger.

"I'll see you tonight," Heero said. 

She looked up, eyes wide as she felt him pass by her on the left, a casual brush of his sleeve against her arm.   When she turned, he was gone.  Clutching the ring in her hand, Relena bit her lip, biting back a sudden onslaught of emotions she could not name.  In all of her indulgent daydreaming, Heero's eventual proposal to her had been romantic and intimate.  Never had it happened in the middle of an office building with the stiff offering of a ring that someone else had picked out and bought.  Never had he walked away from her right after she received it.  Her dreams careened and crashed, splintering against stone, slashed by the piercing blaze of Heero's eyes.  The mystery surrounding him plagued her; she had never seen him so stiff and formal, not yielding even a flicker of sentiment.  She had thought they were a little closer.

But this was work.

Sighing, Relena slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger.  Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift, releasing her expectations and fears.  Surely the worst was over now.  She could endure Heero being Heero.  It really wasn't a change.  Looking down at the ring on her finger, she smiled.  She would have to thank Une or Sally or whoever had picked it out for doing such a good job.  As she admired the gem, a thought came to her: the recent memory of Heero's hand, the one that had touched her arm.  There was something there, a silvery flash.  He was already wearing his ring.  She had to laugh, to ease the tension if for no other reason.

For all practical purposes, she and Heero were now married.

*****

Lady Une leaned back in her chair and let out a very long breath.  "Well, that went as well as could be expected," she said to her colleague.  

Now that Relena was gone, the atmosphere seemed less tense.  For three days she had been in as near a panic as she had ever been, worrying about what the mission would mean to Relena and if the girl could handle it.  Une trusted the peace of the world in Relena's hands, but the Vice Foreign Minister was no operative.  Anything out of place could lead to the mass destruction of any number of things.  Nuclear fallout.  It was always thought to be a threat of the past.

Zechs, who seemed to have adopted a permanent scowl, made a noncommittal sound.  "Relena is capable of this mission.  I have no concerns regarding her capabilities, but I do make her emotional distress my business.  Heero Yuy may have been the best choice, but I can't say that it makes me happy, Une."

"Do you think she still has feelings for him?"  It was a stupid question, but Une was curious about how Zechs felt about Relena's attachment to Heero.  That she had one was obvious, even when she tried to hide it.  Relena was a good political actress, but when she first realized what the mission really was, nothing could have hid that conflicted anguish in her face.  It was good that she was so strong.  "Relena can handle herself quite well, I'm sure."

Icy blue eyes flashed in her direction, as if Zechs could tell her words were intended to pacify him, and likely he _did know, but before he could retort, there was a buzzing on her intercom._

"Yes, Margaret?" Une answered coolly.

Her secretary was slow to answer.  "Officer Barton requesting admittance, Commander."

"Send him in." 

Trowa stepped immediately through the door, quietly moving to stand at attention before her.  Une merely waved her hand at him.  "There's no need for the formality, Trowa."

His relaxation was minimal, but it made him look less like a toy soldier and more like the calm, analytical, courteous person that he was.  "I came to report on the status of the intelligence and counterintelligence, Commanders."  His eyes acknowledged both her and Zechs.

"Did Maxwell complete his mission?" Zechs asked.

"Yes," Trowa replied, "his mission went exactly as planned.  He even had time to add a few…personal touches."  The usually stoic Trowa smiled, a small twist of the lips bringing a gleam to his eye.  Une had known that if she let Duo perform the counter mission, he would play a few small jokes on Heero and Relena, but he really was the best man for the job.  She was a little curious what it was he had done that Trowa found so funny, but she knew the basic outline of the mission.

Early that morning, right as Relena answered that phone call Une personally conducted, Duo was already waiting just outside her door.  When the Vice Foreign Minister left for her mandatory 8 o'clock appointment, he went in and redecorated her house from top to bottom, making it look as if Heero had already been living there.  He had been instructed to compliment Relena's feminine décor with things from Heero's apartment or things that Heero might have or need, such as books and tools, furniture, food and his clothing and personal items.  It also meant adding some wedding-associated things, like a fake guest book in the study and a doctored wedding picture that Duo had made himself.  What Duo might add to that…well, Une could imagine.

"What about the mole?" Une asked, trying to get images of what Duo would find humorous out of her head.

"As our intelligence previously predicted, Private Richardson arrived at the premises just after Maxwell vacated it.  Our reports indicate that everything is going smoothly.  His equipment is top-of-the-line, employing a constant video feed as well as optimum sound.  In some places, he'll be able to hear even whispers."

"Do they know they can't talk on site?" Zechs asked.

"Yuy knows," Une explained.  "We did tests with similar equipment.  Heero understands exactly how loud he will be able to speak at precisely what distances from the speakers and not be heard."  She frowned.  "It isn't much.  They'll be better off not trying to act out of character around the cameras."  

"What about Relena?"  Zechs asked.

Lady Une shrugged.  "Heero will tell her what she needs to know.  They need to carry this thing twenty-four seven unless we stage-manage breaks for them.  I'm sure Richardson will have Relena followed.  That's why I didn't want to keep her here long."  Ignoring Zech's fingers clenching on the chair, Une turned to Trowa.  "Anything else?  Is our mole having any difficulties rigging Relena's home?"

"The surveillance team across the street from Relena's house will alert me if anything goes awry, but the calculated probability of failure is very low."  After delivering his technical report, Trowa hesitated.  "It's important that he succeeds.  This mission depends on the mole being successful in his infiltration in order to ease the fears of our real enemy."

Lady Une knew that perfectly well.  Trowa would not let any loose ends botch this mission.  When a mole was detected, it was always best to let the mole believe that he was acting anonymously and keep a sharp watch.  If one double agent was weeded out, it only meant that another, unknown enemy, would take its place, and then they would be left in the dark.  Trowa knew that as well as anyone.  Her faith in his skills had been the sole reason for appointing him as head of Internal Affairs.  Of course, all of the former Gundam Pilots had high positions in Preventer ranks when they were needed, but as their leader, Une knew that some were better suited for particular tasks. 

"What is it, Barton?"  Zechs demand, his sharp voice slicing through the air like lightening.  Une always thought that "Lightening Count" had been a fitting and versatile title.  She hadn't realized that Trowa was holding something back, but by the way his eyes looked to the left was a characteristic sign.

"About Relena.  Supposing she is even up for the job, do you think there will be consequences?  Her feelings for Heero…." Even Trowa faltered under Zechs' hard stare.

His response was clipped and final.  "Relena is quite able to do any job.  It's Yuy that will be the problem."

Lady Une's thoughts were grim.  Heero Yuy was almost inhuman in his ability to get a mission done.  The Perfect Soldier was now the perfect Preventer.  If anything, Heero would be _too_ good as Relena's husband, and then Zechs would really be furious.

*****

Relena's day had been even more arduous than usual.  Three meetings ran more than a little late, and the time constraint had forced her to skip lunch.  The coffee and candy bar that she had bought from the vending machine in the lobby of her building had only made matters worse.  Caffeine without real food addled her thoughts and made her over-talkative, as if she didn't have other things on her mind that were already making her jittery.  She felt like she had missed everything important that was said in her meetings.  She tried to keep her mind focused on her work, but the big glittering diamond on her left hand made her assistant stare and the delegates smirk, and that made it difficult.  She didn't need them to remind her that she was wearing it.  It was a fair sized stone, but it shouldn't make her hand feel like it was ten pounds heavier.  Eventually the strain of not gaping at it had gotten to be so much that she turned it on her finger, stone on the palm side.  That had relieved a little of the anxiety.  A little.

The scene with Heero kept playing over and over again in her head, especially the end, when he had said he would see her tonight.  Well, it was tonight now, and her driver had just turned down her street.  Would he come knocking on her door later?  Would he welcome her home?  Would he pretend to be tired and go straight to bed so he wouldn't have to talk to her?  A million possibilities flashed through her mind before the driver pulled up alongside her modest, two-story classic home and opened the door for her.  Though her heart was beating fast again, Relena smiled and relaxed outwardly, making herself assume her practiced poise as she thanked the man and walked to the front door of her white house.  Fishing her keys from her purse, she opened the lock and stepped inside.

She stopped dead in the entryway.

Relena had a quaint, clean house.  On the main floor, her nice oak floors and accent wood paneling were crisp and polished, together with white walls and an elegant curving staircase that led to the upper level.  Her entryway was open and light, adorned with simple, pretty paintings and a rose-colored flowered rug.  Her living room, off to her left, was also open and uncluttered, the furniture and accessories maybe a bit girly with plush, floral couches and crystal vases.  To the right was her kitchen, a spacious one despite her lack of serious culinary time.  It was nice, though, all white and light-colored wood with marble countertops and a good-sized island. 

This was not her house.

The pink flowered rug, which she had paid good money for and picked out especially for her foyer, was replaced with one of more traditional patterns and shapes in navy and forest green and white.  It was nice, but it wasn't hers.  The living room looked like a different universe.  Instead of her nice girly couches, there were black leather ones, and crystal vases were now angular, bold-colored sculptures.  The only thing that was the same was the white carpeting.  A stray idea popped into her head that if they had been given enough time that would be different as well.  The only place that she could see that looked unaltered was her kitchen, and even that looked slightly different.  Relena narrowed her eyes when she saw that her lovely pink curtains were now dark red.

Hiding her irritation, she strode under the curving double stair to the back of the entryway, where a thick wooden door hid her study.  Other than her bedroom, her study was her favorite room in her house.  All of her books should be neatly lined up on the shelves, with pictures of family and friends on the mantle above her stone fireplace.  Looking around briefly, she was grateful to see that not that much had changed, but she noted with narrowed eyes some messily stacked books about guns and mobile suits that were shoved randomly on shelves where there was space, and the absence of her photos.  Those, for some reason, had been replaced with a large, hideous stuffed hawk.  

The hawk frightened her when she first laid eyes on it.  She flinched, thinking for a moment that it was real, its pinions and feathers a dark molted brown, petrified talons digging into a stained wooden base.  Its beak was especially hideous, the life-like semblance causing her to wonder what it could do as a weapon.  She had heard of birds of prey being trained to claw out the eyes of humans and horses in ancient battles, though she wasn't sure if the information was factual.  The eyes particularly caught her.  They were glass, and dark blue, watching her with an intensity that had made her think the horrid thing was alive when she first saw it. 

Though the hawk was stuffed, realization hit Relena suddenly that she _was_ being watched. It wouldn't do to be gaping at her own house like she had never seen it before, even if she felt like she hadn't.  Moving slowly, as if she was merely disoriented from exhaustion and not because anything was out of the ordinary, she tossed her purse onto the desk like she did every day and picked up her day planner, pretending to sort through it.  Flipping the pages gave her a little time to adjust.  She could live with all of the changes (as long as they were all fixed later!) and she could do this mission.

Scribbling an invented note in the planner about a change of rooms for one of her meetings, she set the planner beside her purse on the dark wooden desk.  There was a miss-matched stack of books there, too.  One entitled "The History of Space Battle" and another "Maintaining your Mobile Suit."  Relena almost choked as she eyed some more of the unfamiliar titles on the bookshelf, noting that whoever had added these books knew Heero pretty well even if they were poking fun.  A collection of poems by William Blake leaned up against "Evolution of the Handgun," and Relena's stack of classic literature had expanded to include a few authors that were a bit too dry and pedantic for her taste.  A thin advertising pamphlet labeled "spandex, the new fabric of our lives" looked to have been tossed on top of a massive technical guide on tactics and weapons.  That certainly sounded like a Heero Yuy book.  Smiling, she picked up the stack on the desk in order to shelve it nicely with the other books when she noticed one that was different.  It was white with gold lettering.  Curious, she opened it.

Names covered several of the pages inside.  They were all names she knew, like Noin and Dorothy and Quatre.  She had to smile at the effort they had put into actually making a fake guest book for her wedding.  A message scribbled at the bottom caught her attention.  'Congratulations on your life together.  Hope you like the stuffed bird I got you.  It reminded me of someone!  -Duo.'

Relena set the book back down on the desk and covered her light laugh with her hand.  The fact that Duo had put all of this garbage in her house made sense.  She should have recognized that from a mile away.  Her laugh wasn't for that alone, though.  That awful bird did remind her of Heero, in the eyes at least, although she would never say that to his face.   Wiping her eye, she set the album back down, caressing the cover for the benefit of the camera as if it was something she had always been fond of.

Staring at the album, it occurred to her that this was for real, that Heero would be living in her home, circling around one another, eating meals together, sleeping in the same bed together…  Relena's heart rate sped up and she turned on her heel, leaving her study to climb slowly up the spiral stairs to the bedroom.   She wondered if she would have enough time to take a shower and change before Heero came home from "work," to wrap herself decently in a robe and perhaps make them both some tea to calm her nerves.  She  didn't know what she was going to do with Heero actually living in her space, how that was going to work, but she knew she needed to hurry.

Shrugging out of her coat on the way up, Relena pushed open the bedroom door and tried not to stop and stair at the changes.  Her eyes darted first to the King size, four post bed in the middle of the room and tried to adjust to the way all of her furniture had been moved around or replaced to accommodate it.  The colors were not the frilly whites and airy blues she had left this morning, but dark, deep classical colors like the rest of the furniture in the house.  The wood for the furniture upstairs was darker than below, lending a deep, mellow tone to the atmosphere.  The covers were a dark cherry red, and the matching curtains on the windows obscured light enough to darken the room, making it somehow…sensual.

Relena stared at the bed, eyeing it out of the corner of her eye as she tossed her coat over the chair and removed her shoes and earrings.  Her heart was just thumping loudly now, powerful and strong, echoing in time with her thoughts.  She couldn't quite grasp the reality of the situation.  It seemed surreal somehow, like these were props on a stage set for a movie and that none of the details would need to be videotaped.   And yet, there was something comforting about it, something solid and sure and…nice to the way she felt.  She laid her hand on the dresser, staring at the diamond ring gleaming on her finger, emotions swelling up in her stomach, flooding her senses.

A man's hands grasped her by the waist and she let out a small gasp of air before the familiar scent of Heero's aftershave drifted to her nose.  His fingers wrapped gently around her stomach, the rest of him coming firmly up behind her, leaning into her, pulling her back as if to relax her by dragging her close to his body.  If anything, she stiffened, feeling his face come up along the side of her neck, his lips moving in her ear.

"Welcome home, Relena."

Relena's eyes widened.  The words rolled easily off his tongue, still in those same dark tones with which she had heard him speak before, only with a softness to it now, a sweet gentleness that stole her heart and swept her mind away.  Her eyes widened, the compassion in Heero's voice killing her words.  Her stomach trembled under his hands and she closed her eyes, breathing in oxygen and his scent with it, more terrified than happy, and completely lost.

His hand rose to her face, brushing away strands of her hair, caressing her cheek, and then she felt his lips against her neck. All rational thought left her.  It was a sweet, loving gesture, asking nothing, but unmistakably intimate, and she swallowed, her heart constricting as a deep, painful longing welled up from somewhere deep within her, a lonely cry making itself heard from where it had been long buried and ignored.  But she knew none of this was real.

"How was your day?" he whispered, his embrace both a torture and a comfort.

She smiled, for the camera, because she was the hope of the world, or some part of it, and people needed her to smile.  She relaxed, shaking out her anxiety, remembering what she was about.  Turning her head slightly toward Heero, just enough to make out a tenderness in his eyes that she had never seen before, she transported the smile to him.  

"Fine," she replied.

Zapenstap:  *sob* I love this fic!!  I kill myself!

Mizaya:  *tear* i love this fic, too! T_T  And lots of people reviewed it!  Thank you!

Zapenstap:  Yeah thanks!  We squeal and IM each other every time we get a review. O_O

Mizaya:  Yay!

Zapenstap:  I really love this fic!  *dances* 

Mizaya:  Do the readers know what we have in store for them?  *smirk*****

Zapenstap:  *still dancing*  I don't know!  *to readers*  Do you? 

Mizaya:  Please review!  ^_^

Zapenstap:  ^_^ Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaase! 


	3. Mission Commenced

Final Mission Status

Chapter 3

Coauthored by Mizaya and Zapenstap

            The table was set for dinner in the alcove adjacent to her kitchen, soft yellow lamplight blending with the moonlight streaming in from the floor-length windows separating the small dining area from the little garden behind her house.  The table was covered with a blood red tablecloth matching the new curtains on the windows in the kitchen that Relena had seen from afar when she first came home.  Her dishes were arranged simplistically, but the way they had been set was classic and elegant, the silver and glassware having been arranged with a precise hand.  Heero's hand.

            Relena placed her cloth napkin neatly on her lap and stared at the plate of pasta Heero set before her.  Typically, she would come home from work to her empty house, maybe put on some relaxing music, and eat a quick, simple meal before going to work on various proposals and drafts in her study.  Often, she ate standing up.  Having dinner waiting for her was a welcome innovation, and the deeper colors and softer lighting was strangely romantic.  Her eyes strayed to watch Heero pace around to his side of the table, his movements exact and deliberate, yet undeniably graceful.  She flushed as he sat and turned his penetrating eyes on her.

            Due to her state of shock at finding her house renovated, she hadn't even noticed the lovely smell emanating from the kitchen when she came home.  She had been intent to inspect closely only her study and the bedroom at first, the most private places of her house where she never invited company.  But then Heero invaded her in the bedroom, and their first greeting, the one that still had her neck tingling in the spot he had kissed, left her feeling flustered.  When she regained her composure, he led her downstairs for dinner, seating her at this beautiful table overlooking her garden as he laid out before her eyes a meal that looked decent if not gourmet.  The display of warm sourdough rolls, steamed winter vegetables, and bowtie pasta in a red sauce reminded her how poorly she had eaten today.  Where Heero had learned how to cook, she had no idea, but she was not complaining.

            As Heero sat down and met her eyes, she returned his stare with a light smile, lifting her fork experimentally.  "Do I get to expect this sort of service from you every night of our marriage?"

            Heero seemed a tad startled at her covert humor, but after a moment he merely laid his own napkin on his lap and then carefully and exactly began rolling his sleeves back from his wrists.  "Hn.  Only for the first few months."

            Smiling coyly, almost feeling like she had won something, Relena began to eat her meal before her stomach grumbled itself into oblivion.  In her present state of starvation, shoe leather would have been a delicacy, but after a few bites she decided that even had she been full, what Heero had cooked for her was exquisite.  She was surprised, but after a sip of ice water and a few more bites of pasta, she told Heero as much.

            "Hn."

            She felt her face contort in an expression of mild-mannered annoyance before she could stop it. She was really beginning to despise that noncommittal grunt of his.  Even so, she was thankful for his silence.  Her mind and body were still shaken up from the events of the day and something about Heero's quiet predictability eased her nerves.  After she began to calm down and her stomach started to feel full, Heero surprised her by speaking, not to merely tell her something, but as if to start up a conversation.

            "How is your draft of the L3 proposal going?  Did Gibbons say anything to you about it in your meeting this afternoon?"

            Her chewing slowed for a brief second.  She wondered about the cameras, wondered what Trowa's mole was going to read into their conversation and how she should talk about her day.  Was she supposed to be honest and tell Heero what had happened before her meeting with Gibbons, when she had first learned about Cole from Une (excluding the counter mission and Heero's part in it, of course) or pretend they had both known about the situation for awhile?  Suddenly, this whole deceitful operation seemed more precarious.  She understood why Une wouldn't have wanted to keep her long lest someone become suspicious of her meeting with the Commander, but she wished she knew more of the details.  How tapped was her house? What all could Cole's agent see?

            She decided to play it safe, hesitating only a moment before simply answering Heero's question.  His knowledge about her afternoon meetings indicated that he had definitely done his homework for this mission.  That was to be expected of Heero of course, but she wondered if researching her boring business proposals in order to fake a prolonged interest in that aspect of her life had been a strange task for him as a Gundam Pilot or Preventer.  She smiled as if she believed it were fantastically interesting to him.  "He mentioned it, but didn't give any signs of support.  I'm not sure he'll take to it, not with the addition of the Generator Clause."  She sighed with more genuine feeling, thinking back over her frustrations earlier in the day, wishing she hadn't been so distracted by Cole and thoughts of her fake marriage with Heero so that she could have given them more attention.  "I doubt those men even listen to me anymore.  The last three proposals I've made have only passed because of colony endorsement, not because of anything I did."  

            Heero's silent response didn't surprise her, but sometimes it felt nice to complain about her work and somehow she had always been comfortable around Heero.  In this situation, with him posing as her caring, attentive husband, it was even easier to pretend that she could take such liberties.  The sensation eased her and made her heart feel light, but a small part of her knew that she shouldn't get attached.  In a week, she would be alone again.  She would fight her battles in business meetings and he would fight his on the field.  Even if they were of the same mind, they led different lives; her dream come true was a bittersweet fantasy. 

            "I think you're wrong."  

            Heero's answer took her off guard and she forgot to pay attention to her meal as he continued, staring at him with astonishment.  

            "Those proposals were flawless, but they passed because _you_ wrote them.  Maybe people claim that endorsements influenced their votes, but they're mistaken.  It's because of you.  Gibbons will support you, after he plays his political games.  You should know that by now."

            Heero said no more on the subject.  It was as if his silence had been merely reflective, gathering her reaction to matters and comparing it to the information he already had in order to formulate a perfect, encouraging answer.   After he had given it, he seemed to retreat intellectually, as if all that could be said on the matter had been said and there were no fallacies in it.   She blushed under the certainty of his assessment, but the compliment—if it had been a compliment and not merely an assessment—was soothing.  She felt strangely warm.

            But was it real?  What if he were merely acting, even in this?

            Laying her napkin on the table to signify that she was finished, Relena twisted in her chair to checking the silver wall clock.  All this talk of business reminded her that even when she was playing Heero's wife, she still had work to do in the larger world.  The evening was rapidly dwindling down to her early bedtime and she still hadn't started on her final draft of the dreaded proposal.  Talking to Heero casually in her kitchen was indulgent, but not productive, and she needed to be productive now more than ever.

            "I'll take care of the dishes," Heero told her, not looking up to meet her eyes as he sipped on his drink.  "There's coffee in the kitchen."

            Blinking, Relena stood, thanking him as she excused herself.  She found the coffee steaming in the coffee pot, freshly made and with just the right amount of strength. Filling a mug, Relena adjourned to her study and sank into the brown leather desk chair to look over her paperwork.  The pile of drafts and copies and amendments was thick, but it had to be sorted through and at least this part of her day was routine.  

            She had just plunged into her reading and editing when Heero quietly opened the door and stepped inside her study, his own cup of coffee in hand.  She stopped writing, corrective red ink pen poised above one stack of paper, as her body became suddenly warm from his presence.  Without saying a word, Heero withdrew one of the books from the bookshelf that she had shelved earlier, switched on the gas fireplace, and settled into one of the two armchairs that faced it.  He thumbed to a place in the middle of the book and immediately began reading, an expression of devout interest on his face, as if he had been reading that book for the past several days.  Maybe he had been.  It was a technical manual.

            Reading her reports with him not five feet from her was distracting at first.  Light sounds of him flipping pages or picking up his coffee had her ears pricking up, like they were the most beautiful sounds in the world and she would miss out on something special and important if she blocked them out.  Sneaking glances at him out of the corner of her eye as she worked became much more intriguing than power system funding for the colonies, and she almost made a game of it.  She thought ridiculously that if she glanced up at just the precise moment, he would catch her eye and something would happen.  She had no idea what that might be and it was a silly game to begin with, but some small part of her was relishing in it.  Maybe she would see something real in his gaze, something she could only catch unexpectedly, something that could sort out the tangle of thoughts and feelings she had of him in her mind and heart.  

            Heero didn't look up, though.  Apparently the inner workings of vernier engines were quite enrapturing, a thought that made her smile almost as much as her fantasy of catching him unawares.  Content that he was simply here to stay and there was nothing she could do about it, Relena renewed her focus on her work.  When she managed to control her preoccupation, Heero's presence became a comfort and her stack of waiting documents grew shorter.  When she worked in the past, she sometimes thought about Heero, wondering where he was in the world, knowing that he was somewhere protecting her so that she could do her job and make the world a fit place for him to live in, but having him protecting her in the very room where she was working was easier on her conscience.  

            Something about this whole situation was so perfect.  Not one component of the environment cultivated her fair mood or the richness of her feelings, but everything together: the pleasantly crackling fire, the soft lighting of her desk lamp, the warm aroma of their coffee, the way Heero's sharp eyes skimmed so fiercely over the pages.  She couldn't remember a time recently when she felt so relaxed or so alive.  She liked it this way, even though it was a pretense, but she knew she could never say so.

            Eventually, the particulars of her work pulled her into her familiar groove, Heero's resonating presence fading into the background.  She forgot about the time, writing incessantly as the last of her coffee grew cold and it became late without her noticing.  While writing in the margin of a particularly jumbled rough draft of the Generator Clause, Relena felt warm air glide down her collarbone.  She gasped, startled, and her eyes flew to where Heero had been reading only to realize that at some point he had gotten up.  Somehow she felt the pressure of his hand as he gripped the back of her chair, his presence looming behind her shoulders.  She stared straight ahead as he leaned over her shoulder, his face bending close to her own until the warmth from his skin heated hers.  He talked an inch away from her, trapping her in her chair between his arms, his voice speaking softly close her ear.  She began to shiver and could not explain it.  His eyes were on her proposal.  "You should use R17 generators, not the TX380.  They're more expensive, but their efficiency will save money for the colonies in the long run."

            Somehow hearing jargon about generators sounded fascinating when he was close 

enough to feel his body heat.  His whispers would have been sensual if he was reading the dictionary and her hands fell weakly into her lap as she fought to cling to the strength and composure she knew she had.  Was he doing this on purpose?  Did he even realize?  "We looked into those, but they aren't compatible with the existing power supply," she said. 

            "You would have to upgrade them with a 3-point magnum chip.  It will still be cheaper," he informed her, pressing his cheek against hers.  Her eyes slid shut.   Her stomach was trembling.  "You look tired," he whispered, and this time it _was_ in her ear. Her lips parted, her body reacting to the heated breath from his mouth, mindlessly taking in whatever he was saying. "These aren't due until next week.  You should get some sleep before you wear yourself out."

            "Okay," she said, and at that moment it hit her very strongly that she was going to be going to bed with Heero Yuy tonight.  Eyes closed, her body tingling with living energy, she wondered how the hell she would ever be able to sleep. 

            Heero's arm slid abruptly around the back of her chair to her waist and he leaned further over her, wrapping the front of her body in a hug that pulled her close against him.  His head tilted slightly, his nose brushing into her hair until his lips tickled her ear.  She fought to hold onto herself, mind racing, lungs trying to find air.  But his voice, though the tone was still sensual, was like being doused with ice water.

            "The extent to which this house is tapped is impressive.  I'm talking here because I know where the microphones are and how perceptive they are to noises at what distances.  It's best you pretend that they can hear you at all times."  The words that tickled her ear were in sharp contrast to the way his hands stroked her for the sake of the voyeurs.  She tried to ignore his hands, and fought to seem reactive while her mind struggled to separate the realities.  "If you want to get ready for bed out of the line of sight, go to the back of the bathroom.  The camera in that room is only aimed at the counter area."

            Relena nodded dumbly as Heero kissed her temple and released her, and his going left a void like water rushing out of a dam.  He offered her his hand and she took it, letting him lead her from the room on legs that wobbled only slightly.  

            Once they arrived at her bedroom door, Relena had managed to steady herself, her mind relaxing by sheer determination.  She would just have to accept being close to him like this for now.  She looked at Heero, tracing the lines of his body and the serious expression on his face. In a bold move, Relena wrapped her arms around his shoulders and stood on her toes to reach his ear.  He caught her stiffly, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.  She didn't care, hugging him until he hugged her back.  His back felt good to hold, and she took the opportunity to touch his hair, holding his head and body close to hers.  "Thank you," she whispered, "for everything tonight.  You're always so thoughtful."  She left him abruptly, pulling herself sharply away before she could get hurt, and walked into her bedroom to get ready for her first night as Heero Yuy's wife.

*****

            Lady Une couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen.  She had caught her breath several times over the last hour or so, intensely drawn to the scene playing out before her eyes in a way that she had never even considered.  When Heero and Relena released each other and walked into the bedroom, her heart rate only eased a little bit.  Heero began changing almost immediately, stripping of his clothes as stoically as if he were alone in a dim room rather than Relena's bedroom with cameras watching him from several angles. Relena saw it too, watching for a moment with an expression that looked both lost and entranced.  Then she blinked as if coming to herself from some stray thought and turned on her heel, striding into the bathroom.  When she emerged back into the camera's eye, she was dressed for bed, a cotton nightgown covering her from shoulders to shins.  Well, that explained the heart-stopping scene when they appeared to nibble at each other's ears.  Thank God Zechs hadn't been in the room then.  Heero knew the layout of the mole's surveillance in perfect detail.  He must have told Relena what she had to be aware of and where she could undress privately without his suggestion being overheard.  Une wondered if the mole would notice that Relena had chosen to change in the exact spot where his cameras couldn't be seen, but she didn't worry about it too much.  For one thing, Zechs would have a fit if Relena started peeling off her clothes on camera.

            Worrying was unnecessary.  No matter how chaotic their thoughts and feelings might be, Heero and Relena were playing their roles in award-worthy brilliance.  If she didn't know the intense and complex history between them, she would have taken them for young lovers in a heartbeat.  Their control over their movements and facial expressions almost fooled _her_ a time or two, and the penetrating stares and momentous caresses conveyed a deep emotional connection that would be obvious to any observer, whether they knew the couple's true history or not.  With Relena, Une knew that the act was at least partially genuine.  With Heero, well, no one ever knew what that boy was thinking. Either way, they were convincing.  That was what was important.

            It wasn't unusual for Une to stay late at Preventer headquarters.  As Commander, she often gave away any and all free time to ensure the peace of the universe.  The world didn't abide by any 9-5 schedule, and although she painfully missed various activities in Mariemaia's life, she reminded herself constantly that her adopted daughter was kept safe because of her work.  So there she sat, at a time when she should be in bed, watching the feeds from 35 micro-cameras and listening to the amazing quality of sound that 50 state of the art microphones provided.  Benefits of uncovering a mole meant easy taps into surveillance equipment and it was important that they keep abreast of the situation in case something went wrong.

            On the large vid screen in Trowa's office, Une saw Heero knock on the bathroom door and be admitted by Relena.  He was less than half dressed, bare chest and toned muscles magnificently sculpted, the shorts he slept him only a modest covering and not hiding much.  Une clapped a hand to her mouth at the same moment Relena's eyes widened, seemingly stunned.  Walking past her, intense eyes unchanging, Heero grabbed for his toothbrush and hers, squeezing some paste onto both and handing her one so they could both brush together.  He made it look practiced, like something they were used to doing, and Relena didn't ruin the picture at all.  After a moment, she just smiled.

            Une couldn't expect better if they were actually married.

            "Did I miss anything juicy?"

            Duo's voice from the doorway caused her lips to quirk into a smile.  "I'm not sure Trowa would appreciate you barging into his office, Maxwell," she said dryly, keeping her eye on the vid screen as Heero and Relena bent over twin sinks to brush their teeth.

            Duo waved a hand negligently, cavalier grin splitting his face.  "Nah, he went home hours ago.  Besides, we're old buddies, ya know?"  Evidently that meant that Duo could take great liberties, like flopping into Trowa's chair, propping his boots on the desk, and digging one hand into a bowl of popcorn he had brought with him under one arm. "Want some?" he asked, catching her gaze.

            Her raised eyebrows must have had the desired effect, because Duo paused around a buttery mouthful of kernels and looked sheepish.  "What?  I'm just getting ready for the show.  Geez."

            "Show?"

            He shrugged at her cutting tone.  "Yeah, you know, the Perfect Soldier and the Pacifist Princess enjoying marital bliss, tying the not, sealing the deal… consummating the union?"  He winked on that last one, ignoring Une's reproving glare.  Duo laughed at her expression.  "Who would wanna miss that?  Don't act like that's not the reason you're here."

            Une turned back to the screen so he wouldn't see the corners of her mouth rise up in amusement.  "You do realize that if Heero could hear you say that, you wouldn't have long to live, don't you?"

            His sputtering laughter was tinged with fear.  Good.  She liked keeping people on their toes.  Back on the monitor, Heero and Relena had finished brushing their teeth in favor of washing their faces in the dual sinks.  Duo was watching them with avid fascination.

            "Man, he even has perfect hygiene.  What a guy."  Noisy crunching of popcorn could be heard during his pause.  "I did a damn good job with the house, if I do say so myself.  Maybe I should get a job in home decorating.  Retire early, get my own TV show."

            Une ignored the braided annoyance and continued to watch in interest as Relena smiled at Heero, who bared his teeth back at her in some semblance of a smile and then took her hand again and led her to the bed.

            Duo sat up, munching even more determinedly, as if it were some sort of sporting event.  "Here we go!  Lights, camera, action!"

            Duo's wishes weren't going to be fulfilled, though, seemingly.  Une crossed her arms, leaning back in her own chair to watch more passively.  Heero waited until Relena crawled under the covers and then he followed, taking the side nearest the door.  Even after he switched off the lights, the night-vision cameras that Richardson had wisely installed in the bedroom still showed the couple clearly.  They were somewhat stiff, although Une rationalized that it could be accounted to mutual exhaustion in Cole's point of view.  Still, they couldn't afford mistakes.  Relena, lying on her back, played with the coverlet idly for a few minutes until she seemed sure than Heero was settled beside her.  He had already shut his eyes, a soldier trained to fall asleep quickly due to time constraints.  Relena shut her eyes, too, their softly murmured goodnights heard through the microphone.  

            Une inwardly flinched, noticing how awkward it looked for two newlyweds to have such a chaste nightly ritual.  Duo looked disappointed, but also worried, as if he was feeling the awkwardness too and had just now understood the complications involved in this charade. 

            But then, perhaps unsurprisingly, Heero seemed to catch on to what was necessary.  In the darkness, he turned on his side and lightly reached his hand over the covers to slip around Relena's ribs, pulling himself close to her back.  Then he kissed her hair, all while keeping his eyes closed.  At his movement, Relena's eyes fluttered open, staring into the dark, but then she closed them, a tiny smile blooming on her lips.  Une had to smile herself, letting out a breath as she watched the girl tilt her head to the side towards Heero's.  They looked like a couple in love.

            "What a gyp!" Duo exclaimed, not with real anger, but a kind of excited confusion, sounding more than a little miffed.  "I can't believe I stayed here five extra hours just to see that sappy bullshit!"  His eyebrows lowered in consternation, watching Heero sleep with his arm around Relena as if trying to work out some puzzle.  "Aren't they secretly in love?  This is the perfect excuse." He dug into his popcorn again, several kernels spilling over the side of the bowl.  "Man, sometimes I just don't understand that guy at all."

            Eyeing him askance over her shoulder, Une smirked at the spattering of crumbs all over Trowa's chair and desk.  "For one as stealthy as yourself, Duo Maxwell, you sure do know how to make a mess."  He glared and haphazardly brushed off the desk into his empty popcorn bowl as Une rose to her feet.  "Shall we go then?"  She left no room for discussion as she switched off the vid screen.  The feeds were all being recorded, of course, and right now Wufei was on night duty to actively monitor them for any trouble, but it was foolish to leave them playing on Trowa's wall all night.

            Grumbling, Duo stalked out ahead of Une with his arm around his popcorn bowl, not waiting for her to lock Trowa's office with her master key.  "Night," he said over his shoulder, tossing a hand in the air as a wave.

            "Good night," she called back.  "And Duo, you will be going home at a decent hour tomorrow."  The last thing she needed to worry about was Duo staying late every night to watch the 'show.'

            "Yeah, yeah."  

*****

            Relena could feel Heero beside her, his body molding to hers, hugging her as he rested.  His breathing grew slow and regular, but she felt wide awake.  Even though she felt safe and amazingly comfortable, she couldn't stem the flow of wild, confusing thoughts that had her blood racing electrically.  

            She wondered if Heero was really falling asleep or if he was simply still and controlling his breathing.  Staring into the darkness, trying not to like how good his body felt close to hers, trying to ignore how the excited feelings frightened her, she fretted over him, and their situation, and the reason she was in it.  

            It bothered her that they hadn't discussed the incident with Cole yet.  She wanted to acknowledge that the situation was being considered, that there was a reason for this mission, though she couldn't mention that it was a mission in front of the camera.  She assumed that she was supposed to know what was going on, and with the significance of the terrorist's demands, it should be expected that they would talk about it, Heero supposedly being her husband and this situation being a very big deal if they were actually married.  Shouldn't they discuss something about it on camera?  Of course, Relena was _actually worried, and she actually wanted to know what Heero thought and felt about it.  As the person most concerned, worrying was natural both on and off of the camera so there should be no problem telling Heero her real fears, though in point of fact she had just been told… this morning.  Had so little time gone by?  Five days left.  _

            She dragged her hand from beneath the covers and touched the arm that rested heavily on her midsection.  "Heero?" she whispered into the night.

            His eyes shot open.  She could feel them looking at her.  She could always feel it when Heero's eyes were on her.  "Yeah?"  His voice was quiet but attentive and alert, as if he really hadn't been just drifting off, and she supposed he hadn't at that.  He was just pretending.  Maybe he felt uncomfortable being physically close to her.  She wouldn't have been surprised if he stayed awake all night while pretending to sleep, though he would never mention it to her or let it show.  

            Smiling inwardly, she went on.  "I keep thinking about the situation with William Cole."  She paused.  She had to choose her words carefully, to make it seem like they had known for days and that she was just looking for support, while at the same time trying being honest enough to relieve her real fears.  "We only have a week.  Less than a week, before I have to make a decision…"

            "Nothing is going to change between us," Heero told her in that sober, confirming voice that inspired so much faith in her.  But did what he was saying have two meanings?  And if so, did he mean that things between them would go back to the way they were before, or that things as they were right now would not change?  Her heart sped up, wondering…

            "He claims to love me, to desire me," she said.  "What if he tries to keep me there against my will?"  There was that danger too, that something in this mission would go wrong, and though she was not going to back down or run away, there was still a deep seeded fear within her.

            Heero shifted behind her and she turned until she could see the shadows glance off the angles of his face, dark hair half-shrouding his eyes.  He sat up on his elbow to hover over her, frowning intently.  When he turned his eyes on her, they were serious, burning with a passionate blue fire that alarmed her and made her feel safe in the same moment.  This man, she reminded herself, was dangerous, even when he was protecting her; perhaps it was then that he was at his most dangerous.  But whether it was for the safety of a politician he deemed important or friendship or something more, she still couldn't tell.  It was the same as it had always been.  

            "Relena," he began, "I won't let anything happen to you."  His arm pulled her tighter to meld his body even more closely to hers under the blankets, and he settled his head back on the pillow, his face buried in her hair.  Her breathing became shallow.  She could feel every inch of him, every muscle, including some she should most definitely _not feel, but she couldn't deny the feelings that swept through her, the sense of excitement and security and trepidation bowling her over at once. The arm graced up her torso and to her cheek, guiding her head to the side to face his.  She turned her head at the neck, trying not to tremble or at least not let him know it.  The look in his eyes was the same, but the effect it had on her heartbeat was magnified when at such close range.  This close, it was almost like she could see past the hard shield and into something deeper and more mysterious, something that made her heart flutter.  That had always been the same, too.  Just like on Libra, before he had pushed her away, she was incapable of speech.  _

            On Libra there had been no continuance.  Here there was.  Eyes stayed open as he moved his head even closer, tilting slowly.  She didn't have time to panic before their lips met, his warmth passing to her in a sudden exchange, nor control her reaction.  She had always dreamt of their first kiss, a childish thing that teased her at inopportune times.  She couldn't decide if this counted technically, but she couldn't ignore how it made her feel, the way her stomach dropped.  But just like every emotion she had for Heero Yuy, this one was confusing and tinged with sadness.  The kiss wouldn't have come without the mission.  It was simple and short, but his lips were soft and left her wanting, aching for more.  She stared at him, fighting back a flood of emotions, reminding herself that this was just a dream.  Just as soon as it had started, it was over, and she was left gazing into those amazing sapphire eyes, her heart thudding in her chest. .

            "I'll protect you," he said.

            "Heero…" She willed herself not to cry out in the dark silence, from pain and fear and a fervent, relentless wishing…  

             He reached out to touch her hair, and the gesture was seemingly abstract, because nothing changed in his face.  His expression was all serious angles, digging into her heart and soul.  When he spoke, it was with a finality that left no room for discussion.  

            "I'm the one who loves you, Relena." 

TBC

Mizaya: What should we talk about this time?

Zapenstap: Hmm, the story of how we met?

Mizaya: Yeah! First day of kindergarten, baby!

Zapenstap: And we sat next to each other.

Mizaya: And figured out that our names rhymed.  Our real names

Zapenstap:  What? You mean my real name isn't Zapenstap?

Mizay:  Um.  Er, no.  It's Amy.  And I'm Jami.  The point was that they rhyme.

Zapenstap: ^_^ Which of course meant that we should be friends.

Mizaya: Of course! Rhyming is serious business when you're five!

Zapenstap: And we realized that we both loved My Little Ponies.

Mizaya: Similar toy interests are a crucial part of any childhood camaraderie.

Zapenstap: -_- Right.  Anyway, something must have worked.

Mizaya: 'Cause you still put up with me now!

Zapenstap:  Well… you went along with my crazy MLP storylines.  They were quite… involved, if I remember.  Yes, *sigh* I was a writer even then.  *Reminisces*

Mizaya:  *Reminisces* You were always strange.  By the way, was there a point to this?

Zapenstap: Yeah, uh, to thank the readers and ask them to review again?

Mizaya: Oh yeah.  We're totally appreciative of all the wonderful feedback!

Zapenstap: *Huggles reviewers*  I'm so happy!  T_T  Keep 'em coming!


	4. Mission Compromised

Final Mission Status

Chapter 4

By Mizaya and Zapenstap

            Some sweet dream slipped away as Relena stirred awake and slowly blinked open her eyes.  She stretched, burying her head deeper into the pillow, and it was a few moments before she remembered that she was not alone in bed and that there were cameras watching her.  Rolling over onto her side, she found herself looking over the pillow into Heero's open eyes.  Before she could look startled, she relaxed and smiled, wondering inwardly how long he had been laying there staring at her.

            Without uttering a word, Heero lifted his hand to trace a faint line up her arm.  She swallowed, the electric signals from his fingertips pebbling her skin.  His eyes remained on her face and Relena remembered the feel of his lips on hers, the tender heat of his mouth and the comfort of his body as she had lain so close against him.

            _"I'm the one who loves you, Relena_."

            Her heart thudded loudly.  What did that mean?  Wondering mindlessly if she would get to feel his kiss again, to drink in the softness of his lips while this opportunity existed, she almost didn't realize it when Heero sat up and rose from the bed.

            "I'm going to take a shower," he said.  His statement seemed to be a bit of a question and it took her a moment before she realized it was probably because he was wondering if she was in a rush to get ready.  Blinking, orientating herself again to their mission, Relena glanced at her bedside clock and nodded.

            "Sure.  I'll go put on some coffee."

            Heero didn't look back at her when he strode across the room and into the bathroom, but Relena's eyes were glued to the beauty of his form.  Uncovered but for those shorts, it was possible to see his muscles rippling beneath his skin.  Her eyes traced lines along his back, running up his spine and across the breadth of his shoulders.  From the way he moved, it was like he could kill at any time, and do it languidly, with time to spare.  Heero Yuy was a human weapon, efficient, beautiful and deadly.  A highly attractive human weapon.

            Shaking out a sudden (inappropriate!) desire that had to be just casual musings brought on by too much reading and television, Relena got up from the bed herself, wrapped her satin robe over her shoulders, and made her way downstairs.  Her movements seemed slow, as she wasn't fully awake yet, but she managed to make the coffee and pour two cups before returning to her bedroom.  When one had a lifestyle that involved long hours of work and short periods of sleep, coffee was a faithful friend, or so Relena had observed.

            "I brought you some coffee," she began, stopped short.

            Heero had just gotten out of the shower apparently, because beads of water still slid down his body.  His naked body.  Completely naked.  He was pulling his underclothes from the dresser drawer, a pair of dress pants laid out across their bed, but at her words he looked up.  His eyes bore into hers and she fought not to blush at seeing him.  Her stomach lurched, her nerves all on end so that she felt even the plush carpet under her toes.  She tried to glance away, but she couldn't.  Her eyes wandered all over Heero's body, staring right where she shouldn't.  She wanted to look.  She was too entranced to even feel guilty.

            He remained cool under her stare.  She held the saucers in her hand, not sure where to put them as Heero turned back to the dresser. Slowly and unhurriedly he pulled on a pair of boxers before he put on the dress pants he had laid out across the bed.  His being half dressed didn't affect her memory and she continued to just watch him, trying to keep her expression cool even as her body felt suspiciously warm.

            Her heart beat faster as he came closer to her, taking both cups from her hand.  "Thanks."  He set them down on the dresser with a clink and turned back to her.  "I have to leave early today.  I probably won't see you until tonight."  His statement was so natural, in his own way, that she wondered if the tinge of regret in his voice was real.

            "All right," she said.  "Have a good day."  She meant it.   Such mundane words were cherished by her, for the sheer fact that she could share mundane words with Heero.  Even if this situation was a fantasy, there wasn't a script.  With him standing right in front of her, his skin glistening with water droplets and his eyes conveying such raw fire, it was hard to tell herself that it was indeed a fantasy, or to scold herself for hoping and even believing that maybe it wasn't. 

            "You, too," he responded, and brushed a finger fondly against her cheek.

            The movement caught her by surprise.  Standing barefoot in her nightgown, just inches in front of Heero, Relena managed to just smile, assuming that he would go back to getting ready. But Heero's eyes caught hers when she looked up.  She didn't know what her eyes looked like.  His were unreadable, but with only a little hitch in his step he was stepping into her, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her nearer to his body.  His other hand brushed her hair behind her ear and guided her head close to his.  With her eyes sliding shut, Relena let her other senses take over.  Water warmed from being on his body seeped through her nightgown, and an overwhelmingly clean scent of soap, shampoo, and Heero himself made her head dizzy.  Her real attention, though, was on her lips, and the anticipation of what she knew was coming.

            Heero's mouth met hers in mimicry of the previous night's actions.  Although she expected a short kiss like that first one, Heero continued to press her to him as he moved his lips over hers.  She felt her bottom lip pulled between his and sucked upon lightly.  It was beyond any sensation she had ever felt.  Her thoughts and reservations flew out the window.  Relena responded as if pulled by a string, tasting at his lips with her tongue until his dipped out to meet it.  They explored each other's mouths passionately, running their tongues slowly over every reachable part.  Heero's arms wrapped around her back, his hands running up and down her spine while Relena lifted her hands to his head and sank her fingers into his damp hair to give herself some support in case her legs gave out.  She thought they might, but she didn't want it to stop. 

            It was almost excruciating when Heero broke the kiss, the breath from his mouth warming her cheeks as he pulled away.  When she opened her eyes he loomed over her, looking down on her face with a carefully composed expression.  His chest heaved as he breathed heavily.  Her own body trembled.

            "Heero…" she said, and didn't know what else to say.  His face was a careful mask.  Perhaps it was not real.  Or maybe it was.  She didn't care.  "I love you."

            "You need to get ready," he said seriously, letting his hands fall away from her shoulders.  "I love you too.  See you tonight."

            Relena's body was numb.  _That_ couldn't be real…could it?  Her heart was still beating a mile a minute.  The traces of his lips and hands and scent had not left her.  She felt a void form around her with the loss of his going, but she managed to repeat his farewell before adjourning to the bathroom to shower.  Once she had stripped her nightgown off and stepped into the steaming shower, she collapsed against the wall and let the streams of water pour over her.

*****

            Trowa adjusted his earpiece with one hand and stirred some sugar into his tea with the other.  Pivoting gracefully, Trowa made his way across the small Preventer break room to the round table that took up most of the area.  A newspaper that had been abandoned by someone grabbed his attention and he began sorting through it, enjoying the quiet respite from his office.  The break room was normally busy in the mornings, but he was in Headquarters earlier than usual, before the 9:00 shift arrived.  

            Technically, he had been on call all through the night, listening through the earpiece he had connected by satellite to Private Richardson's comm link.  Cole had supplied the comm link for covert communications between terrorist and mole, but Trowa had no trouble infiltrating the channel.  So far, other than a quick call to let Cole know that the surveillance hardware was installed, all Trowa had heard was dead air.  Lady Une and Zechs had put him in charge of running the mission, though, and he wanted to make sure it went as planned, even if it meant little sleep and long hours.

            "What are you talking about this time?"  Wufei's lazy, somewhat arrogant tone came seconds before he entered the room, being trailed by an amused Sally Po.

            "Oh, come on, Wufei.  You're spilling the details if I have to sit on you and beat them out."

            Wufei smirked.  "Are you threatening me?"

            "You'd better believe it."

            "For a bit of gossip?"  He sounded surprised.  He always did when anyone fell beneath his standard of honor.  "Just like a woman.  Well, sorry.  I don't kiss and tell."

            "You're not the one kissing!"

            "The principle is the same."

            Trowa had to chuckle to himself.  The way Sally goaded Wufei into being somewhat social was amusing.  It was difficult to say who won in this particular argument as it was obvious Sally really wanted more than just getting Wufei to chat with her.  Trowa assumed the matter being discussed was the two kisses shared by Relena and Heero that the cameras had captured.  Wufei, as the graveyard shift monitor, had reported them—very stoically—along with other technicalities of the first night of the mission when Trowa had arrived at work.  Apparently Sally wanted more description than the "one kiss at 2300 hours lasting 2 seconds and one at 0700 hours lasting 49 seconds" that the Chinese warrior had given him.  Wufei refused to budge, and took to disparaging anyone who admitted to overwhelming curiosity.  Incidentally, though he had once remarked that this mission was an unworthy encroachment on the honor of both Heero and Relena as well as Heero's skills as a soldier, Trowa suspected Wufei was secretly as interested as the rest of them.  However, his sense of honor—other people's as well as his own—made him discreet. That discretion won him prime time viewing positions.  Duo was not the only one jealous.

            But Sally only sighed in defeat.

            "Morning, Trowa," she laughed when the pair of them became visible.  "I suppose _you_ wouldn't be willing to share more about these infamous kisses, would you?  Wufei's being a little pig-headed."  She smirked at the target of her jibes, whose crossed arms and raised eyebrows spoke volumes.  "He forgets what happened last time he held back information from me."

            Wufei's eyes narrowed, something sly and mischievous flashing through his eyes as opened his mouth to respond, but Trowa sharply raised a hand to stop any further speech.  The bug earpiece had begun transmitting a conversation between Cole and Richardson that required his full attention. Wufei folded his arms across his chest, not bothering to stifle his frown.  Sally put her palms flat on the table top and leaned forward intently.  

            "The kiss…" Trowa heard Douglas's voice saying.  "Did you see?"

            "Yes," It was clearly William Cole.  "Do you think there's a problem?"

            There was a pause on the end of the line.  "Perhaps not," Douglas said.  "It was… hot.  I just wonder… Why did it stop there?"

            Trowa's expression remained steady as the conversation continued, but his tension must have shown because Wufei and Sally remained silent even after the communication ended with a click.  Trowa made eye contact with each of his comrades and rose before addressing them in a calm tone.  "We seem to have a problem."

            "Who is monitoring?" Sally asked.  "Did something happen? Did they do something wrong?"

             "I'll fill you in later," Trowa said.  

            Rushing past them without wasting time to explain, he hurried to Une's office.  He didn't even acknowledge her secretary, who called to him when he pushed open the heavy door.  Une and Zechs were both inside, Une seemingly trying to placate Zechs about something.  Neither looked particularly pleased at him entering unannounced, but it wasn't because they found him rude; they knew his intrusion meant some sort of crisis.

            "Cole isn't convinced," he stated bluntly.  

*****

            Relena stared at the screen of her laptop, getting her afternoon speech up to her standards.  If concentrating remained as difficult for the rest of her mission she would have a lot of catching up to do.  No matter how deeply she buried the taste of Heero's mouth in her memory, it popped up to the surface like a buoy.  Her mind kept convincing her that if she licked her lips she would still be able to taste him there.  Julie, her assistant, probably thought she was in desperate need of chapstick.

            "Is everything all right, Miss Darlian?  You seem a bit distracted this morning."

            Relena shook her head.  "No, Julie, I'm fine.  I just slept poorly last night."  It wasn't a lie.  Sleeping by Heero's side with his arm over her torso had kept her up long into the night.  "Has the transportation service arrived yet?"

            She had an early meeting with the ESUN L4 delegates in the convention center across town in less than a half hour.  Normally, her escort was prompt.  Anywhere she went, Preventers provided her with a bodyguard and a secure driving service, since terrorist threats such as the one facing her weren't uncommon in her line of work.  Preventers were never late.  It made her nervous.

            "I'll go call them," she said helpfully, leaving Relena's office to use the phone at her own desk, right outside the door.  Relena stared blankly at the computer screen until she returned a few minutes later.  "Miss Darlian?  Officer Miller was scheduled to serve as your escort today, but he was involved in a car accident on his way to work, so another officer is being sent to replace him.  He should be here any minute.  They apologize for any inconvenience."

            "Thank you, Julie."

            Just as Relena was starting to feel panicked about being tardy for her meeting, a curt knock came to the door.  She glanced up from her laptop with a start.  Her replacement officer was Heero.  

            Her senses picked up on his presence and heightened her awareness as he closed the distance between them.  How was she supposed to act?  She assumed he was probably just available, unless he had _wanted_ to escort her.  Her heart leaped at the thought, and she wondered what to think or say.  She looked up in time to see Julie stepping out of her office to answer her phone, closing the door behind her.  That left her alone with Heero, who seemed to have turned to stone before her, his steely gaze transfixed on her, though not in a way she could read.

            "I guess we meet sooner than expected," she said with a smile, circling her desk to grab her briefcase and purse for her meeting.  "I hope acting as a substitute bodyguard didn't interfere with your day too much."  As she moved to the door, she stopped in front of him, trying to smile through his hard shell.  When he didn't react, Relena laid her hand on his wrist gently, but if anything he stiffened.  

            "We should leave," he said.

            Smothering her confusion, Relena walked ahead of him and to the elevator.  The ride down alone with him at her side was silent enough for her thoughts to seem like screams in her head.  It was silly to feel let down at Heero's statuesque attitude.  That was just the way he was, but the kiss still lingered on her lips, and she swallowed as her eyes wandered over his face and shoulders and hands, wondering what he was thinking and how she was supposed to behave.  

            Relena continued her internal dialogue through the lobby of the building and into the waiting limousine.  He let her climb into the shining black car to settle into the window seat before following and sitting beside her, arms crossed and eyes staring straight ahead.  If he noticed her silence, he made no sign of it.  

            When the car was only blocks away from their destination, Relena summoned courage and turned a bit to face him.  Before she opened her mouth, he turned to look at her, meeting her stare with a piercing one of his own.  Relena smiled in her best diplomatic fashion and placed her hands on her legs in a form of open body language.  The tiny nuances of being a politician came naturally to her after only a few short years.  

            "Heero," she said, and faltered, surprised when she couldn't hide the hint of awkwardness that came from a sudden emotional surge.  The words she had meant to say vanished from her mind.  She closed her mouth, heart beating, trying to organize her thoughts.  Looking at him, all she wanted to do was get closer to him.  "We should at least act like we know each other," she said.  Her heart fluttered like a trapped butterfly.

            He didn't respond, nothing but his eyes moving, and those merely flicking from her face to the other corner of their shared space.

            Her voice shook slightly as her fingers clung to his wrist.  Something about his face… She wanted to kiss him.  "Heero, I love you."

            He pulled away from her, the flexing of his muscles making her hand spring away.  "We don't need to do this off camera, Relena." The firm line of his jaw became even more rigid.  He spoke with such a cold, emotionless tone that Relena shivered.  

            When the car stopped in front of the building, she felt like her heart stopped as well.  Heero got out without looking back at her, almost as if he could wait to escape her presence.  Swallowing, Relena took several deep, steadying breaths.

            When she stepped out of the car, Relena passed a hand over her eyes to make sure they were still dry.  Heero glanced at her as she fought to hold back her tears, his mouth parting as if to say something. Even if it was an apology, Relena couldn't face him.  She looked carefully away from his face and was only vaguely aware when Sally Po joined the pair of them on the curb, pulling Heero aside by the arm.  His expression changed from momentarily worried to stoic in an instant. They spoke together and he nodded, his face becoming a grim mask before he took off walking with long, brisk strides toward Sally's Preventer car.  Relena watched him walk away, feeling like the inside of her body was made of nothing but air and her head full of water.  She barely registered Sally slipping her arm around hers and walking her inside.

            "Hey, you okay, Relena?"

            Relena managed to collect herself and smiled, brightly, as if nothing could possibly be better.  "Yes, Sally.  My mind was elsewhere for a minute.  I apologize."

            The older woman laughed in her easy manner.  "No need to apologize.  You deserve a break every once in a while too, even if it is just a mental one.  I was saying that I guess you got two substitutes in one day.  I'm not sure what your brother wanted with Heero, but I'll take good care of you for today." 

            "Thank you, Sally," she answered cordially.  If Milliardo wanted to see Heero, it probably had something to do with the mission.  Her heart began to beat in her chest.  There was so much that she didn't understand, and everyone was leaving her in the dark.  

*****

            Tapping his fingers impatiently on the arm of Heero's desk chair, Zechs glanced at the clock again.  Every second that ticked by seemed to wind him up tighter, until he thought the pressure might cause him to snap. 

            Any of the frustration or rage that he felt from his meeting with Une and Barton was masked when his old rival Heero Yuy entered the room.  If Heero was surprised to see Zechs sitting at his desk, he didn't show it.  He simply waited, his eyes fierce and demanding, but veiling his emotions in the same way as Zechs'.  Zechs expected nothing less.  There was a great deal of mutual respect between them, as men and soldiers, though it was not quite a friendship.

            "Heero," he said smoothly, but with that hint of competition that had always tinged their relations.

            Heero's eyes narrowed, the small smile on his lips almost indiscernible.  "Zechs."

            "Sit down, Heero."  Zechs waved to Heero's other chair, positioned in front of his own desk, but Heero didn't complain that Zechs was ordering him around in his own domain.  Heero never took much possession of anything.  He was used to living without attachments.  The office was barren, no personal décor of any kind, the papers stacked in utmost order and ready for efficient filing.  

            When Heero spoke, his countenance was cool and controlled.  "Sally told me to come here.  She didn't say why.  Is there a problem with the mission?"  

            Zechs wanted to smile at the manner in which Heero cut to the chase, but he couldn't.  His jaw locked as he forced himself to begin.

            "You kissed Relena this morning."

            There was a breath of silence where Heero might have stopped breathing, though it was impossible to tell.  Zechs stared at Heero hard, searching for some kind of reaction that would indicate his feelings, either in regard to the act itself or in being confronted about it, but Heero's eyes didn't change, nor did his hands move.  If anything, he was frozen still.

Zechs had not seen the kiss.  He had only heard about it, and Une was not the most forthcoming source when it came to matters that might upset him.  Still, he had heard enough.  His own hands clenched as he and Heero locked eyes

            At length, Heero's eyes narrowed.  "What is this about?"

            "It's about you and Relena," Zechs said slowly, enunciating every word.  "I don't have to remind you that I've watched over her since she was a baby.  This development does not make me the slightest bit happy."  If anything, Heero's eyes narrowed further, and Zechs knew instinctively that they were once more in competition.  

            "Just say what you have to say, Zechs."

            "I'm not the only one concerned about that kiss, Heero," he said, punctuating the words as if trying to make them bleed.  He fought to keep his emotions under control, to calm the rage that boiled just under his skin.  "Cole isn't convinced the two of you are newly weds. I'm here to tell you personally, because this matter is of greatest concern to me."

            He saw he had Heero confused now by the way his intensity lifted briefly. Zechs made sure that he did not break eye contact, boring into him with a penetrating, threatening stare.

            "You're going to have to sleep with her."

            Heero's mouth parted, his eyes clearing as if all of his thoughts had been wiped clean. "What?" Zechs had never heard Heero baffled before.

            "It has to be real, Heero."

TBC

Mizaya: um, it looks like the rating on this story is about to go up.

Zapenstap:  yep, looks like it.  We'll raise it anyway, just in case.  So all you readers should be aware to check for that.

Mizaya:  Don't worry about graphicness.  We're tasteful.

Zapenstap:  Sorry for the delay in the update. I'm a busy busy girl. O_O

Mizaya:  me too ^_________^

Zapenstap:  anyway, this story has a ways to go yet so please keep reading.

Mizaya:  your reviews are so wonderful!  I'm beside myself with happiness. T_T

Zapenstap: T_T  me too.  Keep it up!


	5. Mission Intimated

Final Mission Status

Chapter 5

By Mizaya and Zapenstap

Noin rushed down the corridor at a steady clip, not even noticing her current and former students greeting her in the halls.  The second Une had told her about Heero's orders, and how Zechs was relaying them, Noin was on her way to Zechs's office. 

She didn't even bother to stop and collect herself before she let herself in.  She was too mad to take the time.

"I just heard," she said, shutting the door for privacy. "Zechs, is it true?  Are we really going to make them sleep together?  On camera?"

"It can't be avoided," Zechs replied stoically, not appearing surprised in the slightest by her abrupt entry. The coolness in his tone took her aback. "We talked about how this may come up before the mission was instigated, Noin."

Noin watched Zechs sitting behind his desk with his hands folded on the table, watching her with an icy, steady gaze that looked way too forced for him to be as resigned as he made himself sound.  She pursed her lips as she leaned back against the door.

"Relena's a mature young woman," Noin said, "and I know Heero is a kind, considerate person, but have you thought about what this might do to them?"  Her posture relaxed a bit as she managed to calm down to present her position, coolly and logically, but her voice was no less emphatic.  "They're still so young, and Relena is at least half in love with Heero if not more.  Don't you think that complicates matters a bit?"

Zech's eyes narrowed a little.  Noin knew why.  It wasn't that he disapproved of Heero, or even that he was that close to Relena, but he had always protected his sister from afar and Heero taking on that responsibility had caused some conflict over the years.  Noin refused to believe that this new development wasn't driving him crazy on some instinctual level.  She knew him too well.

"It can't be helped," Zechs repeated.  "Don't think this is what I would have chosen."  The latter came out in a bit of a growl. 

"Isn't there another way?" Noin pleaded.  "Can't we arrange it so it just looks like they've had intimate relations?"

Zechs was unwavering.  His eyes were like ice, almost frighteningly devoid of emotion.  "Barton ran alternate scenarios in a simulation.  Anything less than the real thing would look contrived and they would be on to us in a second.  Most virtual cases resulted in the disaster we are trying to avoid."

"But…" Noin began, and stopped.

Zechs stood up from his chair, always impressive at his full height.  Coming around the table, he took Noin's hand in his own and brought the backs of her fingers to his lips.  "It will be all right," he told her, his tone gentler, more akin to how he talked to her outside the formalities of their job, when they forgot that they both wore uniforms.

"What did Heero say?" she asked.  "How did you tell him?"

"I explained what needed to be done in terms of the mission," Zechs replied with a straight face. "He didn't say anything except that he understood."

Noin scoffed.  She couldn't help it.  Angrily, she pulled her hand from Zech's, feeling stiff from shoulders to knees.  "How could you?" she said sharply.  "How could you, Zechs?  You can't pretend this order is like any Heero has had before.  This is personal.  You can't treat him like a machine, like he doesn't have feelings or won't get emotionally involved."

"You think like a woman," he said softly.  "You've always been sensitive.  That's a strength in its own way, but Heero doesn't need that. He and I are both soldiers.  We understand each other.  Even in a situation like this, if it's an order, it's best to keep feelings out of it.  He'll perform the way he has to."

Noin was offended, both as a woman and as a solider, but the lessons of her military career enabled her to see Zech's point.  Perhaps being sentimental _would_ only make a difficult task harder for him, but still…

"Well what about Relena?" she said persistently. "I suppose you're going to tell her to sacrifice herself for the mission, too?  She was never a soldier and you know how stubborn she is.  She won't understand on the same terms."

"No, you're right," Zechs responded truthfully. "She isn't an operative.  She might not be able to accept the situation. She won't be able to separate her emotions from the task."

"But then…" Realization dawned on Noin suddenly. "You mean you're not going to tell her?" She was flabbergasted, appalled. "Are you _insane_?  Zechs! She's your sister!"

            "She can't know, Noin."

            "But the consequences on both their hearts may be disastrous! You're teaching Heero to be emotionally detached in a situation where, if anywhere, he should be emotional.  Especially with Relena!  She loves him.  How do you expect she's going to feel when she finds out?  How can you expect him to do that?"

            The quiet in Zech's response was deafening.  "Heero Yuy will do what needs to be done," Zechs said grimly.  "As for Relena, she's strong, and it's partially her attachment to that gundam pilot that makes this easier on my mind."

            Noin could only stare.  "You clearly don't understand a woman's heart," she admonished him.  "I'm going to call her if you won't."

"Noin…" Zech's eyes softened, and Noin saw for a brief moment just how hard it was for him to be strong in this.  Noin paused, thinking about it, weighing the magnitude of calamity on either alternative. On one hand, Relena's heart would suffer, and perhaps also Heero's, and on the other hand, the catastrophic effects of nuclear waste on the North American continent could jeopardize the lives of thousands.  To look at it in as bright a light as possible, Relena was going to avert disaster by losing her virginity to the man she loved.  Standing beside Zechs, the love of her own life, Noin realized how hard he was trying to believe that the scenario would fall out in just that way.

"All right," Noin said quietly.  It was an effort not to clench her fists.  "I see the situation, but I don't like it."

Zechs didn't say anything, but Noin could tell that he didn't like it either.

Noin looked at his face and then at the floor.  Schooling her face to stillness, she raised her head and nodded soberly.  "Okay, I won't talk to Relena," she said.  It twisted her gut to say that, knowing what was to happen and not sure how she would face Relena after this was all over.  Still, perhaps there was something she could do.  Managing a small smile at Zechs, she saluted and turned to let herself out. 

"Where are you going?" Zehcs asked.

She tried to make her face look innocent and her voice casual.  "To talk to Heero," she said.  She couldn't lie to him.  "To give him some advice."

"Noin, it's only going to make it harder if you tell him about Relena's feelings."

"No," she replied with a sly, secret smile, and enjoyed the perplexed look on his face.  "That isn't the kind of advice I mean.  I'm just going to give him a few…pointers."  After all, if Heero was forced into sharing his personal life with anyone who happened to be in the video room when the time came, the least she could do was return the favor.

She had just enough time to see Zech's eyes widen before she shut the door and hurried away.

            Wandering through Preventor Headquarters aimlessly didn't help Noin locate Heero.  Knowing Heero, he would stay out of the limelight as much as possible.  Noin couldn't imagine the pressure he must be feeling.  Not surprisingly, no one in the halls seemed to have seen him or knew where he had gone, but as she passed the cafeteria she heard two familiar voices that she hoped might be of more assistance.

            "That's just what I heard," Wufei was saying as Noin entered, peering around to see if Heero was also in there, but the room was empty at this hour except for two, not counting herself. Wufei was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his face as blank as a board. 

"Hey there, Noin," Duo greeted her from one of the tables, one arm flung casually over the back of his chair.  His large eyes and childlike face made him seem a little startled.  But then, if rumors were spreading already, perhaps he was. "Are the rumors true?"

            Wufei turned to look at her too.  It was difficult to read his expression.

            "You know," Duo probed none-too-subtlety. "About Heero and Relena."  Duo had been gabbing nonstop about those two doing the mission together, hoping that it would 'spark' something.  Noin fumbled for an answer.

            "What he wants to know is if they're really going to sleep together on camera," Wufei said coolly.  His smirk was even more difficult to read than his blank face.  He had been on camera duty more often than anyone else due to a certain restraint and sense of propriety some of the other staff members lacked.  Doubtless, he had been warned of the change in mission parameters, but if he had an interest in either Heero or Relena's personal life, he never revealed it to anybody.

Duo, however, leaned forward expectantly, his eyes glued to Noin as if she were a strange alien creature in a zoo.

            Noin sighed tellingly.

            Duo gaped, his jaw dropping open as if he had been hit between the eyes with a brick.  Then quite suddenly, he began to chuckle.  Grinning absurdly, he leaned back in his chair and put one of his booted legs on the table.  "Heh. It's about time."

            Wufei gave him a look that was half quizzical and half a scowl.

            "Duo, it's not like they're in a real relationship," Noin said, voicing her buried concerns.  She knew she wasn't supposed to think about it like that, that she and Zechs had agreed that keeping things in perspective was the only course to take, but the second the words were out of her mouth, she began contemplating the situation again.

"Did Heero accept?" Wufei asked calmly.  The question diverted her train of thought, shifting things back into focus.

            "Zechs says he did," Noin confirmed.  "I'm trying to find Heero.  Have you seen him?"

            "No, he didn't come by here."

            "Of course he accepted," Duo said, seemingly oblivious to any problem.  "They're in love with each other.  They just can't do anything about it.  You know Heero.  It almost has to be a mission for him to do anything."  He grinned again.  "This will be worth seeing.  The great Heero Yuy in love.  And Relena in bed!  Do you think we'll get to watch?"

            Wufei harrumphed.

            Noin gave them both a weak smile.  "Thanks anyway."

            Leaving the two of them to fight it out (Duo would probably suggest placing bets. Wufei might even take him up on it) Noin hurried to through the rest of the wing, asking if anyone had even seen gundam pilot 01.  After several inquiries, she was directed to the balcony overlooking the city where people often smoked during lunch breaks.

            It was empty of smokers this time of day, but Heero was there, sitting on the wide stone railing in the corner with one leg bent and the other stretched out in front of him.  His arm hung limply over his elbow.  From his posture, she might have guessed that he was melancholy, but when he turned to look at her, his expression was devoid of any kind of emotion.  This close, he seemed to just be appreciating the view.

            "What do you want?" he asked quietly, not unkindly, but with no friendliness either.

            She stopped, wondering what he was thinking and whether her intrusion on his thoughts was too much at the moment.  He probably needed time to himself to process what he had to do. "To see if you had any questions," she replied.  She paused, not sure what to say next.  This was too personal to talk about directly.  She felt uncomfortable and intrusive just standing there. Taking Zech's advice, she tried to keep it as technical as possible. "I just heard about the change in mission parameters."  

            "It's not a problem," Heero said assuredly.  "I'm capable of performance."

            She was surprised.  He seemed honest, as if he really did look at it technically and not as a sentimental thing.  Noin wasn't sure if that should make her feel relieved or upset.  She tried to keep sympathy out of her voice.  "So you've accepted the mission?"

            "Yeah.  I've thought about what I need to do.  I can proceed tonight." He looked down at his hands, rubbing his fingers in the cold, no expression on his face, before looking back up at her.  "Was there anything else?"

            "Well," Noin began with more gravity than she felt, trying to match his mood about this whole thing.  Technical.  He wasn't looking at her anymore, staring out over the city as if she wasn't there.  "If you're sure about going through with this, I may be able to offer some tips to help aid your performance."  Not that it would necessarily help him much, but she thought it might relax him a little bit.

            She thought there might have been a little smirk on Heero's face when he caught what she was saying, but it was difficult to be sure.  Either way, she felt a little easier about going on, as if they were engaging in a strange form of locker room talk rather than a tutorial. When he didn't say anything to stop her, still staring out over the city, she took a deep breath and just decided to launch into it.  She kept it technical.

[Scene Change]

            Relena was upset.  One part of her mind wanted to strangle Heero Yuy for being cold and heartless and hurting her, but she knew that the one she was really upset with was herself.  The whole ride back to her office she focused on what had transpired in the car only a few hours before.  Sally, acting as her substitute guard, seemed to sense her pensiveness and remained silent at her side in the back of the limo.

            It wasn't that Relena didn't believe that Heero had any feelings for her.  A casual observer of the day's events might see it that way, but she knew that Heero cared for her on some level.  More likely, he was emotionally distancing himself on purpose.  After all, this was a mission.  Rubbing a hand under her eyes to make sure she had shed no tears, Relena took a deep breath and sat straighter. 

No, she wasn't really angry with Heero.  She was angry with herself for thinking that pretending at marriage and feeling her lips pressed against his might alter the trajectory their relationship had taken for the last six years.

Heero was Heero and this mission was a mission.  It wasn't her chance to finally express how much she cared for Heero or vice versa.  His actions, though they might be genuine, were for the camera, not for her.  Once the cameras were gone, his feelings would be just as mysterious as they always had been.  Once again he would be her watcher from the shadows and she would be the diplomat he couldn't get close to.  She understood.  It was just a bitter realization after a taste of what it might have been like to wake up next to Heero as her husband, knowing that he was there for her in all the ways she wanted him to be, not just as her untiring protector.

"Are you sure you are all right, Relena?" Sally asked tentatively.

"I'm fine," she replied, and was relieved to sound as calm as she was trying to feel.

            Heero had been harsh with her to ground her idealism in reality.  He had always done that for her.  She could accept that she was being childish to think that a kiss would unlock his feelings and that he would embrace her love for him and carry her off into the sunset.  Yet she still felt annoyed by his coldness, no matter how much she understood the reason or how ridiculous her daydreams had become.  He had pushed her aside like she had never seen him push anyone away before.  She didn't know he could be that cruel. Cold, yes, but she had never thought of Heero as cruel.  She suspected that he thought he was trying to protect her.  She understood, but it still hurt.

            When the limo pulled up outside her office building, Relena glanced back at Sally.  "Do you know what my brother wanted to talk to Heero about?" she asked.

            "I haven't heard anything," Sally said with such ease Relena wondered if it was contrived.  "I'm sure it's nothing you have to worry about. What about you?  Is everything going okay with you and Heero?"

            "Everything is fine," she said and tried to assess whether or not Sally sounded anxious.  How much did everybody know about her and Heero? Were her feelings so transparent?  She smiled and tried to sound lighthearted, as if making the whole thing into a joke.  "Heero is an excellent husband." 

            She couldn't detect anything in Sally's return smile.  It seemed sincere, if a little sad.  The other woman spoke with her usual steadiness, full of the arrow-straight conviction Wufei seemed to like in people.  "Heero does everything with his whole heart so that doesn't surprise me.  Maybe it's a little foolish to say so, but I trust him completely. I'm sure that he will take good care of you."

            For some reason, Relena felt relieved.  It comforted her to have her own beliefs confirmed by someone else, someone who seemed to perceive the world in a much clearer light than she did.  "Thank you," she said. 

"Take care," Sally said as Relena nodded her goodbye and walked on her own to the office building.

            At work, Relena kept her thoughts on her job as much as possible, but she couldn't help the way they drifted in the direction of the kiss earlier in the day, comparing it to the way Heero had behaved when she saw him away from their house and also what Sally had said.  She frowned down at her papers, wondering what was going through Heero's mind. 

            All he had said was that he didn't think they should behave like a couple off site.  Was that just professionalism or did that mean that he _did_ love her but just didn't want her to get too close?  Or did he _not_ love her and was trying to be professional in order to spare her feelings?  Perhaps he wasn't sure of his feelings for her?

            She wished she knew, but his deeper emotions were none of her business unless he chose to express them.  Even so, she couldn't stamp out the feelings of agitation and rejection she felt when he told her to stick to the mission.  He may be trying his best to protect her, but she felt vulnerable, not knowing what to say or how far to go, on or off camera.  She loved Heero, and it was difficult for her to fake anything.

            Well then, nothing had changed.  She smiled to herself.  Whether he returned it or not, she loved Heero Yuy the same way she always had.  Because of that, she could do this mission.  She could even use it as a means of expressing herself.  She had already told Heero that she loved him. Perhaps she could say it again once the mission was over; maybe she could even expect an answer!  But until then she shouldn't expect Heero to look at this situation as a chance to confess his undying love.  He might not feel that way about her after all.

            Still, he needn't have been mean.

            Pushing Heero out of her mind and trying not to consider how agitated his maybe _not_ loving her made her feel, Relena poured herself into her work.  By the time Julie came in to tell her that her evening driver had arrived, she had actually managed to get a large amount of work done.  It eased her worries, at least a while. 

            The ride home was less tense than the ride over.  Those hours of concentrating on the thing she knew best, politics, had helped simmer her emotions a bit.  The nagging preoccupation with what exactly Heero had been thinking was almost quashed, though she just couldn't shake the disappointment it left behind.  With a resigned sigh, she turned her key in her lock and opened the door to her house, ready to play the wife again, true to her own emotions at least.

 She wasn't sure exactly what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what she saw.

            The crystal vase that she kept on the foyer table—something Duo hadn't thrown out with her frilly rugs and curtains—had flowers in it for once.  Lillies, her favorite, in beautiful yellows and pinks, sprayed lightly with water so that they glistened with life. Around the vase, tiny white candles lit the room with a soft glow, and she could see more candlelight emanating from the kitchen and her living room.  Before she even had time to wonder, Heero appeared in the kitchen doorway, approaching her with a languid but precise stride.

            She fumbled for something to say.

            He was dressed up more than she was used to seeing him.  Black fitted trousers offset the crisp white of his collared shirt, and his dark blue, unblinking eyes caught all the candlelight in the room.  The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up a bit, the top buttons undone, but even those little imperfections seemed calculated.  Glancing down, she noticed that he even had nice black shoes on.  She had seen Heero dressed up before, but never for her benefit.  She felt her heart beat speed up and a flush creeping into her cheeks.

            "Heero, what is this for?" Her voice sounded strange to her; strained.

            His hand rose to her face, pushing back the strands of hair that had fallen across her eyes.  For a brief moment she wondered what she must look like after a long day at work, and then promptly forgot about it as Heero's eyes seemed to soften at the sight of her.  Nothing in his expression changed, but she could see something in his face she wasn't sure she had ever seen before. There was a searching look in his expression, and an openness, a vulnerability deep behind his eyes that made her heart accelerate so that she felt slightly dizzy.  She could smell cologne on his skin, a scent that made her stomach drop when he smoothly wrapped his hands around her back and pulled her against his chest and shoulders in an embrace that left her knees weak.

            She didn't know what to say.  His shoulder felt…right…against her cheek, and she was afraid to look at his face and see an expression that either contradicted the feeling or was a lie to match it.  It was a welcome home hug, nothing more, but being this close just made her want to be closer.  Was she trembling?

            "I made you dinner," he said quietly as he pulled back.  His hands grasped her about the waist, and she felt suddenly how small she was, aware that he could pick her up and toss her across the room if he wanted.  Instead he took her hand, unfreezing her from her place by the door and urging her forward with what Relena could only call fierce determination.

            Candles filled every counter in the kitchen, and two tall white candles set in polished, silver candlesticks were lit on the white tablecloth-covered dining table.  The warm smell of flaky, buttered roles and lamb came to her and she had to force herself to blink several times.  "Heero…."  She pulled her hand from his, stopping to look about, her eyes sweeping from his face to the table to the candles and back again.  "What is all of this for?"

He pulled out a chair at the end of the table and waited for her to sit before gently pushing it in.  "I'm trying to do better," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely confused.  "You've been wonderful to me."

He moved around from behind her back and his hand landed on her shoulder as he sat down beside her.  Her lips parted as his fingers trailed down her arm to her wrist until he took her hand in his.  His hands were soft, massaging her fingers and palm as his eyes met hers intently.  She suddenly had the impression he was trying to communicate with her beyond the words he was speaking.

"Relena, you're very important to me and I don't want to see you hurt.  This Cole situation has us both a little on edge.  If I've been less than…sensitive, I want to apologize."

She stared at him, not sure what she had just heard or what he meant by it.  "You don't have to apologize," she said, and looked down at her plate.  "I…I've been in my head a lot lately.  Thinking about how I wish…" She took a deep breath, trying not to look at Heero like something she could have in her life all the time.  She had to make this sound like it was about Cole. "This isn't easy for me either."

He nodded, releasing her fingers, and she felt herself flushing again.  Something about his proximity drove out all her rationality.

            The dinner he had made for her previously was simple; a typical home-style dinner.  Tonight was obviously catered.  Fresh rosemary sprigs trimmed the tender lamb, and seasonal vegetables were dressed with a succulent looking sauce.  The rolls were warm and seemed to be held together by a light spread of butter.  While Heero served her a bit of everything, she watched his face, hoping for some expression that might tell her what he was really thinking. 

            Why was he doing this?  They would have appeared as a normal married couple if they had just dined modestly all week and gone about their normal lives.  He had no reason to surprise her with a romantic dinner unless he really meant it as an apology.  But why say what he had said to her in the car if he was only going to apologize for it?  Was it something more? She was important to him.  He didn't want to see her hurt.  What did that mean?

            She watched him negotiating his silverware, tracing his expression and trying to dig out the meaning behind his eyes.  Reaching out, she put a hand on his arm.  Her touch made him start.  She stared, fascinated to see surprise in Heero's eyes. Her fingers lingered on his wrist.  He turned to look at her and she smiled.

            "Thank you," she murmured.  "This is just what I needed."

He nodded slowly, blinking, and pulled the bottle of wine from its sweating bucket of ice.  Uncorking the bottle, he poured a glass for her and one for himself.  As he handed her the glass, his eyes met hers so directly she almost flinched.  His gaze cut deep, right to her soul, and she felt her breath catch as she felt something inside her give way under that midnight blue-eyed stare. Heero was a man of few words, but she could forgo any amount of talking for one look from those piercing eyes.

"Relena," he began as he took a generous swallow from his own glass, both elbows on the table and his head turned toward the window now.  "We need to talk about this Cole affair." 

Relena listened intently as she ate, not paying too much attention to the food, knowing that most of this conversation was feigned, but keeping an ear open for anything that might be a message for her.

"I know how important this is to you," Heero continued, "and what's at stake.  I'm trying to be supportive, to help you feel your way through this without your having to worry about my reaction, but…" He turned to look at her and Relena felt as if her heart had stopped. "I also know how you feel about me."

            "I…" She had a sudden urge to touch his face and couldn't explain it.  She schooled her hand to stillness, not wanting to break the conversation, reminding herself that Heero was _acting_.  Wasn't he?  If only she knew what was real…

            "I love you," Heero said, and she felt her heart thump, "but I don't want to pressure you. I don't want to get in the way when so many people are depending on you.  For now, I can only love you as I am able."

            She lowered her silverware.  He said it almost impassively, his tones smooth and cool.  If he had been anyone else she would have thought he lacked sincerity, but the look in his eyes and the choice of words made her stomach flutter. She took a sip of wine because she needed it.  Did he mean any of what he said beyond a script?  If any of it was true, she wanted to ask him why he couldn't love her all the time, forever, but if she did, it wouldn't fit with the situation with Cole.  She was supposed to be spending this week determining whether or not to leave Heero to marry Cole.  Obviously that would change their relationship.  By "now" did Heero mean what remained of this week before she had to "choose," or before the end this charade when they returned to their individual lives?

            She watched Heero eat and swallowed her own food without tasting it, hoping the agony on her face would be taken for the dilemma she faced over this supposed choice between Heero and Cole.  What she really wanted she couldn't explain, but it involved tackling him in some way, if just to beat the truth out of him…if just to be that close.

            When they finished eating, Heero cleared the dishes while Relena sipped at her wine.  Heero's glass was empty, and when she offered to leave hers for later and help him clean up he only smiled at her and told her to relax.  He kept busy in the kitchen, but every time he came near the table, she saw him stop and look at her through his reflection in the window.  When he passed by her, she would feel a soft brush against her shoulder or a finger caught in her hair.  She was glad she had a glass of wine.

            When everything was done, Relena left her wine half finished on the table and rose from her seat.  She found Heero in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and staring at the wall with a second glass of wine in his hand.

            "Did you have work to do tonight?" he asked quietly.

            She shook her head.  She wanted to convey to him that she forgave him for what he said in the car this morning, to somehow communicate that she loved him and wanted to know how he felt about her.  Was this really all just pretend?  Didn't he see how she was trembling?

            They stared at each other, but neither of them said anything. 

            "I'm going to go change," she said at last.  "I've had a long day."

            He nodded.

            As she trudged upstairs, she thought about how long a day it had been.  This morning Heero had kissed her in the threshold of their room as if he meant to consume her.  Then he told her in the car to stick to the script and remember their professional relationship outside this wired house.  And now these long looks and lingering touches.  His speech was so full of holes and riddles she didn't know what to think or believe.  He said it was an apology, but what did that mean?  She wished he would express himself more clearly.

            There were lilies in their room as well.  She smelled the fragrance before she looked around and inhaled delightedly.  The lights had been left half on, the main lights switched off but the reading lamp on her nightstand and heat lamp in the corner of the room still burning, as if Heero had forgot to turn them off when he brought the lilies up.  It gave the room a softer, warmer feel, almost romantic.  Shrugging, Relena ran a comb through her hair and then began to undress.  She had kicked off her shoes and unbuttoned the first few buttons on her blouse when Heero came in.

            It took her a moment to register the determination in his stride.  He had a slightly predatory gaze in his eye as he approached her.  She didn't have time to open her mouth, move or protest as his arms came gently around her waist and his lips sought hers hungrily.  The slight taste of wine on his tongue blended with the cologne on his skin, and felt her body respond in a way that almost made her jerk back before she remembered where she was.

            "Heero…" she whispered into his kiss.

            He pulled back and she found herself staring into his eyes with his hands on either side of her head, crushing her hair against her ears.  His grip was rock steady, and his eyes neither wavered nor blinked, but she sensed something both urgent and hesitant in his touch.

"Relena, listen to me. I don't feel like I'm explaining myself well. I care about you.  More than anyone in the world.  I love you.  Me."  She stared at him, listening to him breathe deeply.  "The time we have together is valuable.  I don't want to waste it.  I want…"

            She couldn't help it.  "Heero, I'm so confused.  I don't know what…"

            Heero's lips touched to her neck and in short order she found herself speechless and staring over his shoulder at the wall, her wrists on his shoulders as he kissed her neck and aligned his body with hers.   When his mouth moved up to her ear, she trembled.  He drew her close, one arm wrapped around her shoulders as his lips crushed against her hair.  "Relena," he whispered.  "I…."  He didn't have to finish.  She felt something pushing against her stomach that she didn't think was a gun.

            She stiffened in surprise, not sure how to process what she felt.  Heero pulled back a little, smoothing her hair around her face, giving no outward indication that anything was amiss.  He looked different to her suddenly. There was a look in his eye she had never seen before, a sort of question that was masked by a blank face and aggressive, confident body posture.  She felt herself responding, caving under the pleasurable pressure of his proximity.  Conscious of the cameras, she closed her eyes and guided his head back down to hers, kissing him the way she had been dreaming about since this morning.  If this was what she would get, she would take it.

When Heero was kissing her, Relena forgot about the camera. She forgot about everything.  She felt his lips on hers and his body responding to hers and didn't think about anything else.  Heero's hands ran over her body in roaming, widening circles.  She touched back and hardly noticed when his hands started working at the buttons on her blouse. 

[Scene Change]

            "He's taking off her clothes!" Duo exclaimed.

            Everyone gathered around the screen was starring as if compelled.  Even Une felt her eyes widening as Heero's hands worked the buttons of Relena's shirt undone, his lips on her collar bone. Une wasn't really sure why she was allowing everyone to gather around and watch.  She wasn't even sure when they came in.  She had assigned Wufei to monitor and then had joined him for her own reasons.  Trowa had come looking for her to relay a message and just started watching.  After that they just kept coming in, but with the explosive image in front of her muddling her thinking, she couldn't muster the concentration to order them out.

            "Did you see him pound that glass of wine in the kitchen?" Sally whispered.  They all had, but no one responded to her question.  Duo chuckled.  Noin swallowed. Zechs ground his teeth.  Wufei shook his head.  Trowa stood impossibly straight at Une's side, arms crossed and expression too carefully blank to be the true reflection of his thoughts.

            It was when they were in the bedroom together and Heero finally started acting as the aggressor that the tension in the room of watchers became tangible.  Before that, it was more of a shared curiosity between everyone who had been observing the soldier and princess dance around each other for years.    Duo started having conniptions as soon as Relena walked upstairs and unbuttoned the first button of her blouse. He kept shouting what was happening as if commentating a sports event.  The half-strangled "he's going up!" accompanied by an over-excited pounding of his fist against the desk still reverberated in the room.  Now it was like everyone was processing the scene slower than it was actually happening.

            On screen, Heero moved Relena to the bed.  He laid her down upon it and climbed over her, knees between her legs, never breaking the kiss, hands pulling her blouse apart.  She was whispering something to him, but it was unintelligible.  Heero's hands dipped to grasp her breasts, still covered by a lacy nude colored bra, holding them firmly as he trailed kissed down from her mouth to her newly exposed skin.

             Duo's eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head. "Oh my god!  Can I send a copy of this to Hilde?"

Despite his stony face, Zechs could have had steam coming out of his ears.  Noin showed an uncharacteristic display of affection by slipping her hand around one of his clenched fists, but it didn't appear to help.  He had come in to chase the others out and had become absorbed by the scene.  His jaw was locked so tight, Une was afraid it would forever change to contours of his face. Any second she expected to see him develop a twitch. 

Relena moved her legs slightly apart to allow Heero to settle between them and pin her to the bed.  The way her hands delved into his hair, Une wasn't sure the girl was minding all that much.

            "Does he really love her?" Sally asked.

            It was the question they were all thinking and couldn't ask.  Heero had said he loved Relena repeatedly on camera, but no one in the room had ever heard him indicate that it was otherwise real.

            Glancing back at the screen, she wondered if either Heero or Relena remembered the cameras at this point.  Heero might not have cared, but Relena certainly wouldn't want to be seen naked, doing this in front of everybody she knew.  Une hoped they wouldn't say or do anything stupid.  Relena was getting braver.  She had Heero's shirt over his head now and was working at his trouser buttons.  Une thought that was quite brazen until she noticed that Heero's hand was covertly under the girl's skirt.  This was going quickly, evidence that the two were either extremely sexually frustrated, the girl was genuinely in love with him, or both. 

            Une breathed a sigh of relief when Heero gathered Relena in one arm and used the others to pull back the blanket and hide her under it decently.  Heero's bare back was the most prominent thing in view now, framed on either side by Relena's hair splayed out on the sheets, but it wasn't more than seconds before undergarments were flung over the side of the bed.  Heero began moving over Relena more zealously, his hands diving under the sheets, eliciting soft sounds from her throat.  Then he stopped, poised over her, supporting himself on his elbows.

            "It's all right," Heero's voice came through the transmission in a soft whisper.  "I've always protected you, Relena.  I won't let anything happen to you." He held her head between his hands, smoothing her hair around her face.  Maybe he was comforting her because she was a virgin, or reassuring her again of his feelings, but it could have doubled just as easily for calming her about Cole.

            "I know," Relena replied.  "I trust you."

Une felt a rush of air as Zechs's pulled his eyes away from the screen and marched out of the room.  Noin followed worriedly on his heels.  Une supposed it was better that he didn't stay to see more.  Seeing his sister in bed with Heero, on a camera, with all of his colleagues and a terrorist watching, was probably more than enough to evoke some kind of negative emotion.  Une would let Noin take care of it.  There wasn't much Zechs could do at this point.  They had agreed this was necessary; he had already had his chance to be angry about it.

Everyone watched, enraptured as Heero's body moved tellingly under the blankets.  He kissed Relena's face and then closed his eyes, his hands diving under the blankets to roam Relena's body.  She arched at his touch, as if he were controlling her through minute cues and caresses.

            "This is indecent!" Wufei bellowed, scraping his chair back as he leaped to his feet.

            Une snapped out of her thoughts, realizing suddenly how stoically she had been observing things.

 "We should give them privacy," Trowa said slowly with his usual, calculating, characteristic calm.  "It would be the right thing to do."  He said it, but his eyes hadn't moved away from the scene. Neither had Wufei's.

            "They _look_ like they're in love," Sally whispered. 

            Duo began shaking his head in disbelief.  His former enthusiasm seemed to have diminished somewhat.  He stared as transfixed as anyone else, but the grin on his face had slipped.  He swallowed.  The bag of chips he had brought in with him remained untouched.

            This change in Duo signified to Une that perhaps they had watched long enough.  The events on the screen were no longer incredulous actions between two people that everyone assumed would never get beyond their own pride and duty to express how they felt.  What was going on now was an immediate precursor to a girl losing her virginity to a man she had loved for years.  It was time to turn it off. 

            Relena's hand wrapped around Heero's neck. "I love you," she whispered.  "Heero…" She was having trouble speaking, but the words were clear. "I love you."  It was difficult to see much of her, but from Heero's movements, it was clear what they were doing and why it was hard for her to talk. 

Trowa shifted his gaze down at his feet.  Une knew he was too much of a gentleman to gape at things no one should be seeing.  Sally was grimacing in a concerned fashion; Wufei was nearly squirming beside her.  Duo, who had been more adamant about this than all the rest put together, was now beet red and appearing a little sick at the invasion of privacy.  It was time to end it.

            "All right, I think we've all seen enough."  Her voice was like a thunderclap in the uncomfortable silence, silent except for what sounds came through from Relena's bedroom, but it shocked everyone from their moods.  They turned to look at her, waiting for orders.  She realized she couldn't make any of them take night watch. Even Wufei and Trowa seemed unable to look at the screen.  Sometimes being in charge meant doing the job that no one else wanted to do, and the job of observing the respected Relena Darlian who had waited so long and so patiently for love have her heart broken and her privacy invaded by this mission seemed a lot less appealing than it had earlier in the day.  "I'll stay," she said resolutely.

      They filed out of the room without speaking.  When they were gone, Une settled into the desk chair and frowned at Heero and Relena, watching as passively as she could will herself to as they continued to make love.

TBC

Zapenstap: Yay! Finally finished!

Mizaya:  Took us long enough!

Zapenstap:  Sorry for the delay, faithful readers.  It was a busy time in Real Life for Mizaya and I, but we did not forget.

Mizaya:  We have been planning lots and lots!

Zapenstap: Yes, we like to hash things out down to the details.  We had great fun deciding things like… what kind of flowers Heero would buy to decorate the living room.

Mizaya:  And what colors.

Zapenstap:  Though we doubt that was the most exciting part of this chapter…

Mizaya:  One would hope not.

Zapenstap:  chuckle. So, uh, what was the most exciting part of the chapter?

Mizaya: TT


	6. Mission Exposed

Final Mission Status

Chapter 6

By Mizaya and Zapenstap

Une pursed her lips, sitting in a semi-safe place behind her desk as she watched Relena's brother attempt to stare her down with a locked jaw and unblinking eyes.

"I hardly think you need to know any of the details," she told him coolly. As soon as Zechs walked into her office this morning she knew it wouldn't be a pleasant conversation. He looked like he had lost some sleep. She hadn't slept well herself, not after staying up for most of the night to watch… She blushed at the mere memory.

"I don't want to know details," Zechs retorted. Une had no ability to fathom what kind of thoughts or emotions were going through his head, but he didn't seem like he wanted to deal with them. His face was its typical cool, almost vacant, but she could see the tremble in his visibly clenched fists. He was going to give himself a headache grinding his teeth like that. "I just want to know if it went…correctly."

Une knew exactly what he was getting at but couldn't quite bring himself to ask. In his own way Zechs was asking if Heero had treated Relena well, if she would be scarred by what happened, if there were indications that she was in love or hopelessly attached in a way that might hurt her tremendously. Unfortunately, it was impossible for Une to give any kind of reassurance regarding such things. As for the act itself… There was no need for hesitation there. "This is Heero we're talking about. He does everything correctly. I might even say he does everything well." She tried to keep her face smooth, but a little flush managed to creep into her cheeks. A very long night.

Zechs turned his head to stare at the wall, cutting his eye contact with her briefly. After a moment to collect his thoughts, he turned his eyes back on her. Une kept herself under strict composure as he leaned forward slowly, thrusting one gloved finger down hard onto his armrest, his voice low and menacingly gravel. "This better have convinced the man, Une." He paused, calming himself. "I know it was necessary, but I won't pretend that I am easy over the damage to Relena this may have caused. Heero is a good operative and good person, but as a lover to Relena… All I can say is that his heart had better be in the right place."

Une didn't say anything. Zechs knew that there was no alternative regardless of the condition of Heero's heart. Unfortunately, there was no way to know how Heero felt about any of this without asking him point-blank, and she simply couldn't do that. Heero's humiliation, whether he loved Relena or not, was kept within respectable limits only as long as no one knew enough to judge him. It wasn't his fault that he was forced into this, but even his closest comrades might be apt to criticize him if he gave them any reason. She regretted allowing anyone in the room while Heero and Relena consummated their supposed marriage, or even letting anyone know about it, but she had to forgive herself for the human error. It hadn't registered that it was _real_ until it was too late to stop others from seeing something that should have been sacred to the two people who shared it, whether their hearts were in the right place or not. Curiosity over the ambiguous romance budding between the two had gotten the best of everyone. At least no one had been around long enough to see much more than the beginning.

"Heero has done what he was ordered to do," Une said quietly. "The collateral we should be concerned about is in regard to the situation in North America. How are our plans progressing?"

Zechs transitioned smoothly to the business at hand, though Une could see that he had not forgotten his other concerns. "Everything is on schedule. Noin is handling tactical and Sally is prepping the strike team."

"Good," Une said. "We are waiting for confirmation on our intel before we move our resources to location for the meet. We are trying to uncover as much information as we safely can about Cole's history, character and present state. This is a time for extreme caution. As you know, Cole's informant was reported to have been trying to convince Cole that Relena's marriage was a set-up. He seems to be less sure of himself following the events of last night, but we would be prudent to presume that he still harbors doubts and plan according to that presumption."

"The ruse will carry on as planned," Zechs growled. "But I agree that more information about Cole would be useful. I like to know my enemy before engaging him in combat. I'm sure that Cole is…."

He was cut off by a swift knock on the door to the office, followed by the metallic turning of her doorknob with barely a pause between. Une flicked her eyes to the door, her nerves all a jitter. She hadn't summoned anybody to her office this hour. The conversation she and Zechs were having was highly sensitive. She went over in her mind what they had been talking about: the ruse between Heero and Relena, the order that would smite the Preventor name in they eyes of the public despite its necessity, the tactical strike being organized against Cole, their lack of information regarding Cole himself…

The door opened and there was no more time for thinking. Une felt a chill run down her spine when she saw who had the audacity to walk into her private office without being summoned. This wasn't going to help Zech's mood at all either.

Dorothy Catalonia's predatory smile was the same one she always had on her face, as if she knew something that others didn't. She certainly wasn't expected. Had she overheard anything? It was impossible to tell.

"Oh, excuse me. Am I interrupting something?" Her voice was as sweet and humble as sugar, but the gleam in her eye was anything but. Une was about to tell her that she was in fact interrupting and to wait outside, but it wasn't possible. When Dorothy entered a room, she swept through it like a tornado, repositioning everything to center around her. She was delicate about it, though; you never noticed until it was too late. Even as Une thought about ordering her out, the blonde woman had already moved the chair in the corner and had seated herself at Zechs's side.

"Hello, Milliardo. It's been a long time." Her voice was a like a symphony of tiny bells. The man didn't even glance her way, but Dorothy did not give any indication that she had expected him to. Instead, she adjusted her long blonde locks—pleasantly wavy these days—and turned her eyes on Une.

"Please don't worry, Lady Une. I don't come as the bearer of bad news. I thought you might be interested in the information I have collected on William Cole's compound. I'm sure you know better than I what to do with it." From her large handbag, she pulled a file consisting of 20 or 30 papers and laid them squarely on the desk.

Une pursed her lips, her fingers twitching to get a look at the information Dorothy had so graciously delivered—in person. The information was expected; the method of delivery was not. It was out of necessity, not choice, that Dorothy had been covertly recruited as somewhat of a reconnaissance field agent. Her aristocratic family had ties with Cole, and the woman had a surprising number of contacts who gave her things like the blueprints for Cole's house. From the look of the top sheet of packet on the table, somehow she got her hands on the layout of his security detail as well. Une didn't know why Dorothy wanted to be directly involved, but if that's what it took to get this intel, she would have to put up with the woman's presence.

"Thank you," Une said as she pulled the file in front of her. Dorothy smirked with satisfaction. "I'm sure it will be of use to us." There didn't seem to be a reason for the girl to stay, but she wasn't leaving. "Are you staying in town?"

"Of course."

Une nodded. Dorothy really did want to be directly involved. But how much? And why? Une decided right then and there that this needed to be nipped in the bud before it spawned out of control. She had given Dorothy the satisfaction of allowing her physical presence in exchange for information, but it had to end there. Zechs gave a Une a cursory look, revealing that he was irritated beyond belief. Taking the hint, Une turned a steely gaze on Dorothy. "I'm sorry to be curt, Dorothy, but is there something else you needed? I have a great many things to do this morning. I'll be happy to update you as your assistance is needed."

If Dorothy was offended by Une's mildly hidden dismissal, she showed no sign of it other than a too-friendly smile. "Oh, no, there was nothing else. I'm merely thankful to be welcomed as a part of something so tremendously important. I take it everyone is doing their part?"

Une didn't know precisely what the girl meant by that so she didn't answer. Perhaps she was trying to include herself among "everyone." Or maybe it was a reference to the part Heero and Relena were playing, or to the strike team that was being assembled. It was unclear how much she knew.

Dorothy rose gracefully from her chair, brushing summer blonde hair out of her face. She smiled shrewdly. "Well, since you're busy, I'll be off. Thank you again, Lady Une. Milliardo." With a respectful nod, she slung her bag over her shoulder and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Zechs's face could have been carved from ice. Une met his perturbed stare levelly. "Do you think she heard anything?" he asked. "How much does she know?"

Une ran her fingers along the spine of the file folder Dorothy had given her. "I'm sure she's heard the rumors. If she heard anything more just now, the damage is already done."

[ Scene Shift ]

Relena awoke in Heero's arms, warm and comfortable and with a feeling stirring in her heart that she had never felt before. At first she thought Heero was asleep. His eyes were closed and she found herself starring at his lashes and wondering why she had never noticed how long they were before. Then, before she could blink or think of anything else, he opened his eyes.

She couldn't tell if he had just woken up or if he had merely decided to look at her. She thought he had been asleep, but he seemed completely awake as soon as his eyes opened and the way he was looking at her told her he had expected to find her in his arms.

They were both naked under the covers, skin touching wherever possible, and nothing had ever felt so right to Relena in her life. Bowing her head, she kissed Heero's chest and shoulders, wrapping her arms around him and closing her eyes contentedly as his arms wrapped around her. He held her tightly, the muscles in his arms protecting her closely and safely beside him. She felt his lips kiss her hair and his hands caress her back, fingers running over her naked skin.

They were still on camera. Relena hadn't forgotten it, but she didn't care at the moment. She didn't want to move. The memory of Heero making love to her was still fresh and vivid, sending little chills down her shoulders and back that his hands smoothed out as he caressed her. She had never felt so safe and protected and happy as she did now. Having Heero watch over her was one thing, but nothing could compare to how secure she felt in his arms.

"Are you okay?" His voice was soft as he lifted her chin.

She realized she had tears in her eyes and nodded, smiling. "I'm just happy. Heero, I…" They were still on camera. She had to be careful. "I don't want anyone but you. Please keep me safe with you. Don't let…"

"I'll keep you safe," he said, and she melted into silence as his arms tightened around her again, bringing her close to his chest.

[ Scene Shift ]

Duo flipped his long braid over his shoulder, feeling it swing back and forth as he strode jauntily down a side corridor of Preventer Headquarters. It might have been nice to be in bed still, Hilde nestled against him in adorable slumber, but he wasn't going to dwell on it. He liked mornings, and work, and his coworkers. Everyone that passed him got a smile and a wave, maybe a casual jibe if he knew them personally. Or even if he only _sort of_ knew them personally.

"What's up, Miller, old pal?" he asked a lean blonde walking towards him. The poor guy had just been in a car accident and his arm was pulled into a bright white sling that clashed with the dark blue of his uniform. "How's the arm doing? Did they decide if it was a fracture or not?"

Miller smiled back, nodding his head almost deferentially. "Morning, Duo. They said hairline, but it's not so bad. I'll be good as new in a few weeks."

"Nice to hear it!"

As they passed, Duo fought off a twinge of disappointment. Try as he might to be equals with the rest of the Preventers, he always felt like they were in awe of his Gundam Pilot status, even years after the war. It made it harder to make friends. The regretful sentiment was fleeting, though, as always, replaced by his more typical, chipper attitude.

When he turned into the hallway where his office was quietly nestled, he began humming a bit. He tended to do that while listing mentally his tasks for the day. Not much besides some meetings with Sally Po and Noin, and a turn at manning the watch of Relena's house (Wufei had gotten the early morning shift again), and some paperwork he hoped to finish up in the meantime. No matter what everyone thought, he was always on top of his duties.

His bouncing stride took him by Heero's office, the first door on the right. It wasn't the fact that the door was open that caused his tune to falter. (Heero almost always had his door ajar if not open completely. Some thought that he didn't like to be closed off from the noise in the hall, or that maybe privacy was of little importance to the Japanese soldier. Duo speculated that Heero probably just liked to be as aware of what was going on outside his office. He wasn't much of an office man at heart). But it wasn't the fact that Heero's door was open that made Duo stop humming and take a step backwards to get a better look. Heero was actually in his office today, though he didn't have any office work to do, and he didn't look good. He stood stock still, forearms and forehead flush with the wall, eyes open and staring down at nothing.

Feeling an obligation to make sure his comrade was well, Duo knocked on the doorframe, not really waiting for an acknowledgment he wouldn't receive before stepping into the small room. "Hey, man, you okay?"

Heero didn't respond vocally, but he shot Duo a cold blue glare from beneath his hair. Duo wondered if maybe he hadn't noticed his approach. That was very unusual. Duo tried to puzzle out what could be bothering the other pilot so much, but he didn't feel very talented at reading Heero's emotions. The only thing he knew that would ever put Heero on the edge of depression was a failed mission. Except, his mission in this case was to love Relena as her husband…sort of. Did that mean that…? "Say, buddy," his casual laugh came out partially choked. "You aren't concerned about the…uh, mission or anything… are you?"

Unfastening his body from its position on the wall, Heero turned around and crossed his arms, leaning his back against the cream colored surface instead. His eyes never met Duo's, but his grimace and tone were hard and emotionless as steel. "Don't get involved."

"Don't get me wrong," Duo reassured, "I know this is a big deal, especially to you because it involves Relena." That earned him a flat look. He moved on hastily. "I mean, I'm sure it's hard for you to let us take care of everything on the tactical end, but you're in good hands."

"Do you mean _your_ hands?" It sounded slightly insulting. Maybe. It was hard to tell.

Duo scratched the back of his head and laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah, well..." He searched for some way to recover. "I'm not trying to insult you or anything, Heero. I know that what you're doing must be difficult. I'm telling you that I think we're in the clear with Cole now." He grinned. "And from what I saw last night, you're doing a good job with Relena too."

He had no reaction time. As soon as the words left his mouth, his breath was cut off under Heero's palm flattening his throat to the wall. Gasping proved as futile as trying to pry Heero's hand free before it crushed his wind pipe. It took him a few agonizing moments of fright to realize he wasn't going to die.

Painfully slow and deliberate, Heero moved his face closer to Duo's. There was finally emotion in those midnight eyes. Heero's unrestrained anger was terrifying. "What did you see?"

"We were just curious!" Duo pleaded. Heero's eyes glinted like moonlight off steal, holding Duo pinned to the wall as surely as his hand held his throat, waiting for an answer. "You slept with her," Duo squeezed out. "We were interested, but we didn't see much. I'm actually sorry we saw anything." He almost squeaked when Heero's hand closed a little tighter. "Really!"

He released Duo's throat and stood still with his eyes staring at nothing and fists clenched. "Sorry." He didn't sound like he meant it.

Duo panted and rubbed at the bruised area around his throat. He was thrown completely by the apology as much as anything else. "Me too," he choked out. "Geez. I didn't mean it like it sounded. Really. Everybody's just concerned."

Heero didn't look at him. "If you mention anything about it to anybody again, I will kill you."

"Yeah. Sure," Duo gulped. "Not a soul. But Heero…"

The glare shot his way was enough to motivate Duo into exiting Heero's office in one swift move. Sometimes being quick and stealthy came in handy. Heero's office door shut behind him. Once clear, Duo leaned for a moment against the wall to catch his breath and then walked the last few yards to his own office.

Dejected and confused, he sunk down into his plush black chair and stared blankly at some folders on his desk. Sometimes when he was alone he let the cheeriness fall from his face and allowed himself to think over things more somberly. It wasn't that the jovial humor was an act; it was just that he didn't like anyone else to see his worrying, serious side in fear that they would start worrying too. He worried now about Heero. For years he had worked with Heero, in the vile throes of war and the stress of keeping the peace, and never had he seen the man lose his temper and react like that. Normally, when Duo made some crack the perfect soldier didn't appreciate, he would just ignore him. And if he did mean to choke him, he wouldn't apologize for it afterward. Heero was always cold and distant on a mission, on the outside at least. He followed his emotions in his decision-making, but he kept emotions out of his responses. When he was angry, he channeled it into what he was doing and just seemed to up the intensity (if that were possible). Duo pondered more than once if the man was really human, but he supposed that the severe anger and loss of control he had just demonstrated was proof enough.

The only conclusion that Duo could come to was that Heero was emotionally involved in this mission, but he couldn't come any nearer to dissecting precisely how.

[ Scene Shift ]

The day seemed relaxed for Relena. The way her scheduling had worked out, she had abundant meetings at the end of the week, but none today, which was odd, but not unpleasant. She hardly minded the lull. In fact, she embraced it. After last night, and that morning as well, she could hardly keep her head straight. Heero Yuy was clouding her thoughts. He was just…wonderful.

Even in her most stressed times she had been able to focus on her work and get it done, like a nail driven clean through hardened oak with one practiced and stalwart hammer stroke. This was not that sort of situation, however. Apparently childlike giddiness had the opposite effect of pressure. More than one smile graced her lips as she replayed choice details from the night before. At one point she caught herself caressing her neck in an attempt to recreate the feeling of Heero's hands. It was utterly ridiculous, yet she didn't seem to care.

By the time lunch rolled around she had managed to get through one document. The current state of fruit farming on L2 completely failed at grabbing her interest and she had to fight to read one sentence at a time. She took mental breaks to daydream about what might happen when she got home tonight. Surely she and Heero would do it again. She wanted to. Somehow she just knew that it would be better each time, and that was a glorious revelation. Perhaps it was wrong of her to feel no compassion for the poor harvest of peaches on Duo's home colony. She knew deep down it was. But that elated part of her would not go away and it was difficult to focus on anything on the ground when she was floating on cloud nine.

Feeling that is was a lost cause, the Vice Foreign Minister decided to take a break from her work. It all appeared as a big jumbled mess of letters and figures that refused to coalesce into anything resembling sensible until she read it four or five times over. It would be more productive to go for a walk to get some coffee.

Leaving her suit jacket—a pretty pale green cut in a flattering fitted style and accented with silver buttons—on the back of her chair, she swept her hair behind her ears and entered the outer room of her office. Julie looked up from her central desk and smiled at her employer. "Is there anything I can get you, Miss Darlian?"

"No, Julie, I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit. I'll be back in a few minutes if anyone calls." She hadn't received any calls yet that day, either, another rarity. Her secretary nodded and Relena stepped happily out into the barren hallway.

A light stroll took her down the longest corridor and around a right turn that opened out into sort of an open common space. The space was really just a wider section of the hall where a few chairs and end tables made for a break area. There was a large cylindrical coffee pot on a countertop, hissing as it percolated. Relena stopped and filled a small ceramic cup with the steaming liquid before continuing down the hallway. Heero liked his coffee black, but she put a bit of cream and sugar in hers today. She sighed at the thought. Heero only filled her thoughts more vividly now that she was away from her desk and not tied down to any task except keeping her legs under her. They did feel decidedly weak and feathery since the night before.

It was a bit of a shock when someone grabbed her arm. Careful not to slosh the coffee onto her hand, Relena turned her neck to stare at the blonde moving to walk beside her. "Dorothy!" Where had she come from? Last she heard, Dorothy was in Vienna and was planning an extended trip to the Americas.

Dorothy smiled in that saucy way and put her weight on one foot. "I'm sorry for not letting you know I was coming for a visit, Miss Relena. Is this a bad time? You don't seem to be too busy. It's fortunate that your schedule is so open today. I've been wanting a chat with you."

The onslaught, followed by an inclination that was half command might have seemed rude to someone else, but Relena knew that it was just Dorothy's way. Relena admired the woman in some ways—she was very intelligent and determined in getting what she wanted—but the reasons for admiration were the same as those that put her on edge. "Certainly," she replied, allowing herself to be hustled back to her office by the slender hand on her elbow. "I had a break from my work so I figured I'd stretch my legs for some coffee. How have you been, Dorothy?" She was doing a terrible job at hiding her bewilderment.

"I've been fine," Dorothy answered smoothly. "I just got back from a tour of some of my business interests in the Americas." She smiled almost smugly and went on. "While I was there, I heard some rather…personal news about you that interested me. Just how is Heero Yuy?"

Relena stopped. Her intuition immediately made the connection that Dorothy knew about her supposed marriage to Heero. She also likely knew about the situation with Cole, especially if she had been in the Americas. Did she know her marriage was a set-up, though? Even if she didn't she might have guessed.

"He's well," Relena said guardedly.

"That's good to hear. May I see your ring, Miss Relena?"

Relena held up her left hand and stared blankly in somewhat of a daze as Dorothy scrutinized the ring on her finger. Relena knew that Dorothy was acutely aware of her attraction to Heero. The woman had picked up from it on day one and it was no surprise

that she would want to know if anything came of it. But how much _did_ she know?

"He's an attractive man," Dorothy smirked. "You must be pleased with the choice."

"What do you mean?" Relena said. The choice. She had to know about the mission, phrasing things like that. It set Relena's skin crawling.

Dorothy frowned at her. "Still left in the dark, I see. You're far too trusting, Miss Relena. You need to have a better intelligence. It's necessary these days to have someone to tell you what you need to know without everybody else knowing you know it. After all, if you're the only one who doesn't know, how you supposed to know what others know about you?"

Before Relena could puzzle that out enough to respond—both what was said and what was meant by it—Dorothy hit her with it like a ton of bricks right between the eyes.

"For example, last night. How did it go?"

"Last night?" she asked softly. Nothing had happened last night, nothing except that Heero had made love to her. She felt a chill in her hands start to creep up her arms. How would Dorothy know? If she knew, who else must know?

"I didn't see it myself, but I can't help being interested."

It clicked in Relena's head. It was all on tape. She was being watched, not just by Cole's agent, but by _everybody._ Of course. Obviously. And they would talk. Everybody was curious about her and Heero and had been for years. She was so shocked she didn't have the mental capacity left to be embarrassed. It was too late for embarrassment anyway. Had _Heero_ told anybody?

"I can't help but wonder with that pilot," Dorothy continued in an insinuating—terribly shaming—murmur. "How intense was it?"

It was intense. She remembered with a shiver and flush that told too much in and of itself. She wanted to go to her office and hide and hope that the damage was at least contained. How many people knew about it? It made her feel terrible. Just knowing that they knew turned something beautiful, something that she wanted to spend all her spare time thinking about, into something that she felt she needed to cover up and hide. Relena's mouth opened to answer Dorothy in some recovering way, but nothing would come to her lips. What could she possibly say about it?

She thought nothing could be worse than knowing that others had seen, or even knew, that her "platonic" situation with Heero had become intimate. She was hurt, and angry, and feeling horribly betrayed. Then came the question that made her stop breathing.

Dorothy's glanced at her from the corner of her eye, her lips curving into a smile, wavy blonde hair around a creamy white face a poor mask of innocence. "If it wasn't an order, do you think you still would have done it?"

Order.

It had just happened. Living in a house with Heero, preparing meals for one another, making coffee, reading together, sleeping in the same bed… One thing had led to another until the suppressed passion between them had taken over. And then they had made love. Order. No. Heero had _not_ been ordered to do any of it.

Had he?

More importantly_, would_ he, if he had?

The blood drained from her face. Without thinking, she pushed her way free of Dorothy. "Excuse me," she said. Her voice sounded so composed, it sounded stale. Dorothy didn't move out of her way.

"Are you all right, Miss Relena?" The concern that dripped from Dorothy's voice was questionable. "You really didn't know?" She paused, and seemed almost satisfied with herself. "I didn't think so."

Relena wanted to slap her and tell her she was a bitch and demand respect for what little privacy she had left, but she couldn't find her way in the haze. Dorothy grabbed her as she went passed, taking her arm by the elbow and swinging her around as if they were sharing confidences like close friends from girlhood. Relena hardly noticed. Her mind was spinning. "I'll tell you what I think," the other woman whispered. Her tone was like silk over steel. Her eyes darted to the corners of the room as she talked. Relena was fascinated by their movements. They kept her heart from breaking right where she stood. "Or rather, I'd tell you what I'd _do_."

"I don't need your help, Dorothy."

"Maybe not, but it can't hurt to listen. I'm trying to tell you, I'm on your side in this, Miss Relena. I want to be your confidante. I'd like to help you. Tell me this: Do you love, Mr. Yuy?"

She didn't answer, but she supposed it was obvious from the pained expression on her face.

"You have him to yourself for the rest of the week, don't you?" Her smirk wasn't hidden at all.

Relena really _didn't_ need Dorothy's advice. She realized before the other woman spoke what she was going to do. Why get mad when she could get even?

TBC…. Hopefully a little quicker.

Zapenstap: It has been so long.

Mizaya: We're very sorry

Zapenstap: Life is complicated, but we're working on it.

Mizaya: We probably need to work a little faster --

Zapenstap: Yeah. Probably. It is getting _longer_, though

Mizaya: And somehow _Dorothy_ made it into the story

Zapenstap: Still want to blow her up?

Mizaya: considerate pause

Zapenstap: I kinda like her

Mizaya: deathglare

Zapenstap: OO

Mizaya: What do the readers think?

Zapenstap: Please review! We love it!

Mizaya: Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase? I know I do!


	7. Mission Backlash

Final Mission Status

Chapter 7

By Mizaya and Zapenstap

Relena flew out of her office building with her things jammed chaotically inside her purse and her coat hanging off of one arm.

"Miss Relena, wait!"

Dorothy's hail was a high-pitched buzz in the back of Relena's head, but she had to stop on the curb long enough to wait for her driver to come pick her up. Dorothy ran down the steps after her, skirts lifted in two hands and three-inch heels clicking on concrete. That precarious sort of running didn't seem to have any dissembling effect on her, though; she flowed into a graceful strut as soon as she hit level ground, striding up behind Relena with her skirts swishing an a smile on her face like that of a satisfied fox.

"Do nothing!" Relena said sharply without turning around.

She saw Dorothy's smile widen into a grin out of the corner of her eye, but she wasn't sure if it was sincere or not. Dorothy had been following two steps behind her since she broke the news that Heero's lovemaking to her had been ordered. She was like a child watching to see if a well-played prank was having its desired effect, and had heeled Relena back to her office and now out to her car like a three-year old hoping for handouts of candy or coins. Trying not to pause long enough to think too hard, Relena filed away Dorothy's jibes, pokes, innuendos and suggestions without letting the other woman see how madly she was processing.

She knew she had to be smart in this. Dorothy had offered to be her confidante and seemed to just be lusting after gossip, but there might be more to it. Relena didn't know if the other woman had another objective in mind, but it would probably be better to keep her on a line than to send her off to do who knew what.

Turning, Relena looked Dorothy full in the face, but didn't give her the satisfaction of letting her know how incensed she was over the intelligence Dorothy had brought her. Dorothy may only be after a good drama, but feeding it to her might start up an addiction that could only ripen with age; it wasn't likely to get rid of her.

"I'm serious, Dorothy. Do nothing until you hear from me."

Relena's driver pulled up to the curb and Relena fell silent, though she did not break eye contact. Dorothy returned Relena's level gaze with a slight incline of her head. The small smile on her face never altered and neither did the sharp look in her eye. As Relena's driver came around the back of the car to let Relena in, she even dimpled a bit.

"Of course not, Miss Relena. I wouldn't dream of doing anything to compromise your position."

Nodding despite her uneasiness, Relena got into the car and let her chauffer close the door, effectively cutting off Dorothy's view of her. Relena looked through the tinted glass until the driver put the car into gear and began to pull away. Dorothy stood contritely on the curb with her hands clasped demurely in front of her until the car turned the corner, her eyes glittering with any number of complicated calculations.

Relena sat back and tried to relax, attempting to systematically ease the tension from her shoulders by thinking of things that usually soothed her. She played with the diamond ring on her finger in silence, tilting it at different angles to appreciate the brilliance of the cut. It was a shame all of this was a sham. It was a beautiful ring, with a beautiful husband to go with it. Well, she thought grimly, for the time being, she _was_ Heero Yuy's wife.

It was time to start acting like it.

By the time Relena arrived at home, she had a small, secretive smile on her face and a plan to go with it. So the great Heero Yuy thought he could seduce her on an order in the name of the mission, did he? She would show him the consequences of that!

After tipping her driver, Relena entered her altered house with only one disdainful look at the new rug—she really did miss her rose one--and went into her study as usual, conscious as always of the cameras watching her every move. And the stuffed hawk. As she sorted her mail and updated her planner, she wondered just how many people witnessed her sexual escapades with the Great Yuy Machine last night. It hadn't bothered her so much that a stranger had seen it—a stranger who would soon be brought to justice!—but if Dorothy knew, then it was plausible that many of her personal acquaintances did. They had probably all seen Heero deceive her, sleep with her, tell her he loved her, and everyone but her knew it was a show. And that, quite frankly, pissed her off.

And even if no one had seen, she had reason enough to be angry with Heero just for deceiving her, especially in front of other people, angry enough to make him pay.

Last night had complicated their relationship, but maybe he hadn't considered what that would mean the rest of the week. If Heero's love for her was a fabrication invented to make her react to him believably, how far would he take things to keep up the pretense of their marriage? Now that they were already intimate, would he give in to lust without needing the order? Did it make a difference if she seemingly wanted to repeat the events of the night before? Or would he hold off, either because he didn't really care for her that way or in consideration of her feelings? Knowing Heero as well as she did, she assumed he would try to hold off whether he loved her or not, as long as it did not compromise the plausibility of the mission. Heero was ever-efficient after all, thorough at completing a task, but in some ways also a minimalist.

Well she was going to make holding off difficult!

Leaving her work things in the study, Relena went upstairs to the bedroom, making a big show of stretching her muscles and yawning as if extraordinarily tired after a difficult day. Stripping out of her clothes, she took a shower and then dried her hair before rooting through her drawers for a slinky, thigh-length nightgown she almost never wore except at the height of summer when the nights were sticky and even cotton was too hot. The silky thing was pink—it always had been her favorite color—and thin almost to sheerness. Almost. And yet it was quite innocent, lacking lace or eye-blinding shine or shimmer or anything that might make it look like lingerie. Actually, that was why she had bought it in the first place. And yet, when she put it on, it clung lightly to her figure, grabbing at her curves and then releasing as she moved, the thin material floating on air around her body like it was going to fly off at a breath.

So as not to look like she intended for the garment to be enticing in any way, she casually threw on a thick robe and put on her slippers, yawning again and shaking her head as if preparing for a relaxing evening. Sitting down in front of her vanity, Relena dried her hair and combed it, pleased at how soft and clean it felt right after a shower. She rubbed lotion into her skin and eye cream under her eyes and then clipped and buffered her nails for added measure. It was an evening for self-pampering.

When she was finished, she went downstairs and sat at the table with her paperwork, aiming to get a few things done before Heero came home—after all, she had the time and an increasingly topless mountain of things needed to be done whether she was on a mission or not! Relena worked steadily on reports for two hours (and as an after thought ordered dinner) but kept smothering smiles that had nothing to do with machinery production on MIII or the negotiations on new sanitary and nutritional standards for food production centers in space.

When she heard keys in the front door, she laid aside her work. It was time. Reveling in her plot, she glanced at herself in the decorative wall mirror to make sure her looks were decent and then got up from the table, plastering a smile on her face and bouncing to the front door.

Heero was surprised when she peeked at him coyly around the doorframe, grinning at him like an idiot before flinging the door back and throwing herself at him in a hug. He caught her just barely, arms wrapping around her waist as she buried her face in his shoulder and inhaled the lingering scent of his cologne. She pretended she was not enticed by the scent—or rather, she pretended she _was_ while also telling herself she was not.

"I've missed you," she mumbled into his shirt, fingering the buttons and kissing him here and there. It really wasn't a lie, but it was strategic, and it felt good to have a handle on the game. "I'm _so_ glad you're home."

Not waiting for a reply, she lifted her head and grabbed Heero by the tie. Heero's eyes widened slightly. Pulling him into the house, she shut the door behind him with a well-aimed kick. Her smile was predatory as she took his head in her hands and kissed him, drawing his head down to hers and claiming his lips as if she owned them. He didn't react with as much surprise as she hoped, but there was a definite question in his expression when he pulled away from her and looked into her face. His eyes could have knocked her down flat just by looking.

"Did you get off work early?" he asked her, eyeing her robe and slippers.

"Yeah," she said dismissively, not even to bother looking him in the eyes—they really _were_ a bit intense—and immediately went for his tie, loosening the knot before working her way straight down to the buttons of his jacket, more of less undressing him in the doorway.

She stood close while she did it, her thighs brushing against him at every opportunity, running her hands over his chest and shoulders as she took off his coat, giving him suggestive looks through her eyelashes when she felt his muscles tense up and his hands twitch. Heat radiated from his body and she heard him swallow when she pulled his tie free and undid the first two buttons of his shirt.

"I ordered dinner," she said, still deceptively casual. She knew Heero was over-analyzing every cue—he always did—and playing down some things would only heighten his perceptions of everything else. "Chinese take-out. I hope you don't mind?"

Heero shook his head, face a careful blank mask that might have been covering anything. He looked calm, but underneath that, he must be wondering what she was up to and how he should respond. After all, this wasn't in the script.

Smiling, she leaned in to kiss his neck.

"Relena…" Heero began, and she knew before he spoke that he was going to suggest something that would separate them physically.

She pounced first.

"It's kind of cold," she purred, dropping away from his neck and leaning up against his chest, staring up at him through her lashes. He looked down at her, hands around the small of her back, face expressionless. He seemed determined to imitate a stone. She tried to look helpless. "Would you build a fire? They let me go early, but my morning meetings were brutal. Besides, I've been thinking a lot about, you know, about the decision I have to make. I want to do what is best for the world, but tonight, if you don't mind, I'd like nothing more than to cuddle with you. Please? Heero?"

"Sure," he said, and she knew with a feeling of quiet victory that there wasn't much else he could have said and still look like the adoring husband he was pretending to be. He moved stiffly when he stepped around her, perhaps—she fancied—because she had made it difficult for him to walk.

Relena watched from the doorway with smug satisfaction as Heero knelt on the floor in the living room and began wadding up leafs of old newspapers to arrange around some dry logs and thin kindling in her fireplace. Their fireplace, she corrected herself. Kneeling in slacks with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, stoking a fire to satisfy her whim, he was really quite adorable. She noted that he was careful not to get any ashes or chips of wood on her white carpet. He was surprisingly thoughtful sometimes.

As Relena watched Heero use a fire starter to set flame to the paper and kindling, the doorbell rang. Turning away from her 'husband' with a smile, Relena opened the door to receive the Chinese take-out she had ordered while reviewing her reports. She tipped the carrier generously—being in a devilishly good mood—and carried two steaming boxes of noodles and chicken with two pairs of chopsticks over to the coffee table in front of her couch. Rather than sitting on the couch, she knelt gracefully on the carpet just behind Heero's back, within a few inches of touching him, and cooed with pleasure as the heat from the fire began to warm her skin.

Heero turned just his head to look at her with a blank expression when she made that sound. Then, without comment, he turned back to reposition a blackening log into the heart of the flame. Silence wrapped the walls of their home in cozy velvet. It was pleasant really, and perfect for what she had in mind.

"Are you hungry?" Relena murmured after watching Heero work for a minute, twisting just enough at the waist so that her arm brushed against his elbow. When he didn't reply or seem to notice, Relena shifted her weight and gently looped her arms around his shoulders, hanging lightly off his back until her lips hovered just in front of his ear. She smiled and added in a low whisper, "Heero?"

He sat back on his heels, head turning to look at her, dark hair framing eyes that seemed to capture all the light in the room. Disengaging herself, Relena calmly reached for the Chinese food, handing Heero a set of chopsticks and a carton of noodles and chicken with a smile. His eyes set her heart aflutter, but it didn't stop her from slithering across the carpet to snuggle up closely beside him.

Settled close to Heero with the second carton of Chinese food in her hand and her cheek on his shoulder, she was surprised when he turned to smile at her, almost disarmingly. She had thought her proximity would make him nervous, but he looked…relaxed. He had taken off his shoes and was sitting with both feet flat on the floor facing toward the fire. She was even more surprised when he put an arm around her and kissed her cheek.

Well, she thought wryly, she supposed she _had_ set a scene.

They ate quietly and comfortably, leaning close together. As they ate, Relena cuddled closer, running her hands up and down Heero's arm and rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. By the time she had practically wedged herself in all the inward curves of Heero's body the look in his eyes had changed from relaxed to… charged, glowing with the light they had only captured before. As soon as Heero finished eating, he pulled away from her almost hastily, leaning back on his elbows and staring up at her from the floor in a manner that made her feel decidedly self-conscious. His expression wasn't very readable, but he seemed to be… considering something.

"It's getting warm," she said, and setting her dinner aside, Relena took off her robe, throwing the thick cotton robe aside.

She watched with inner satisfaction as Heero's eyes flickered from her robe to the wispy garment underneath with a startled expression. She rubbed her arms, pleased by the seductive light of the fire playing on her skin, and adjusted the spaghetti straps of the short, airy little chemise. Heero sat up slowly, as if drawn into a sitting position by a string, eyes glued to her in a way that could have meant he was thinking hard about what she was doing or simply enraptured by what he saw. She didn't care which it was. It clearly had an effect on him. His eyes darted as if looking for a safe place to go and reason to get there. Just as he looked about to get up on some excuse or move away, she smiled almost pleadingly. "Will you give me a backrub?"

His mouth parted, eyes jumping to the bare skin of her shoulders and back to her face before turning his head away from her completely. She watched his throat where she knelt and saw him swallow. Then she touched his hand. He felt warm. It seemed she had got his blood moving.

"Please, Heero?"

Of course, he had to. He moved to position himself behind her without speaking. Relena settled herself between his legs and mercilessly rubbed his knees with her hands, affectionately familiarizing and owning his body as if that was the way it had always been. She heard his breathing quicken as his hands landed on her shoulders. His fingers began to knead away at the roughest parts almost mechanically at first, as if performing while his mind was elsewhere. But gradually he seemed to concentrate more and more, settling into it with avid attention to detail.

She hadn't realized how much she needed a backrub until he started. Heero had expert hands and the first moan to escape her lips was actually quite accidental. After that, because of the way his hands paused over her back as the sound escaped her lips, she decided it was good to continue and elicited a string of "hmms" and "that feels good" and "ooh, right there" whenever appropriate. As she grew more relaxed she could feel Heero growing more tense and anticipatory behind her. He shifted now and then, sometimes closer to her and sometimes farther away as if he wasn't sure which he really wanted, and she rolled her head back and down as if oblivious, mouth parted to encourage him. When the tension was at its highest and every muscle in her body was relaxed, she let out a purr of contentment.

"Thanks. That was wonderful."

Heero hands leaped away from her as if she burned. He even sat back. Good. He was fighting harder than she was. She smiled to herself. Heero was a die-hard fighter. He would be tough to crack.

"I have a long day tomorrow," she said abruptly. "I think I'll go to bed."

Her legs felt shaky as she stood, but she just kept going until she reached the bottom of the stairs. Only then did she look back. There she paused to smile over her shoulder at Heero, who was still seated on the carpet, watching her with eyes that burned.

"Would you clean up from dinner?" she asked, and retreated up the stairs before seeing how he would respond.

In her bedroom, Relena shut the door and wiggled her bare toes on the carpet, taking a few centralizing breaths to calm herself. Flicking off the main light, she climbed into bed and turned on the little bed lamp on Heero's side of the bed, a lamp that she adjusted to a soft, barely lit setting. Once settled, she buried her face into the mattress and smiled where the cameras couldn't see.

The bedroom door opened even sooner than she expected it, and she wasn't sure if that meant Heero had taken care of dinner or not. She looked up to see Heero standing in the doorway with a look on his face as if he were fighting the hardest battle of his life, like he was being assaulted from all sides and ripped in two directions at once. Relena's mouth parted and for a moment she felt terrible. She almost got out of bed and went to him, her first instinct being the desire to hold him and make him happy, but remembering last night, she stubbornly stayed where she was.

Heero shed his clothes in front of her eyes, stripping out of his shirt before the mirror, removing his pants and hanging everything up in the closet without looking at her, maybe even trying to avoid her. Relena forced herself to breathe and settled into the mattress as he changed for bed, taking a deep breath as she turned on her side away from Heero.

She felt it when Heero slipped into bed, the mattress adjusting gently to his weight. At first they remained on their respective sides and the silence between them drew out expansively, widening the space. Then Relena felt Heero shift. His hand touched her shoulder, sweeping away her hair before his lips brushed against the back of her neck, kissing her softly, nibbling at the nape of her neck. She shivered and lay still, frozen as a stone. Perhaps taking her silence as consent, Heero's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush up against his body. His fingers kneaded her skin, crunching and smoothing the material of her chemise, his hand moving lower to caress her thighs as it inched the material up. It felt good. Too good.

"No." The word dropped from Relena's lower lip plaintively, and it came out an unintelligible whimper. Heero's lips buried themselves in her hair, his other hand tracing a line up her spine. She shivered. Inching his body up over her torso, his lips found hers, kissing her tenderly, tasting her willingness with his tongue, hands smoothing her hair around her head. She made a sound of complaint in his mouth, more desperate than she intended, and he lifted his head. "No," she repeated more firmly and clearly, staring at him desperately as she swallowed and trembled. "No, Heero, not tonight. I don't want to."

He stopped, his eyes glimmering in the darkness above her face, his arms trapping her on either side. His expression was a wonderful mix of contortions. She couldn't tell if he was angry or confused or sorrowful. She knew he wasn't going to speak. "It was nice last night, but I don't feel like it now," she said in a detached kind of voice, almost cold and dismissive. She knew the words didn't make sense. They sounded odd coming out of her, like lies. "I have too much on my mind."

He obeyed her wish, and as soon as Heero lifted himself off of her and removed to his side of the bed, she turned back over. Her head met her pillow softly as she lay staring at the wall, tracing the patterns high above her eyes as if she were trying to hypnotize herself.

She could feel something like longing permeating from Heero, and confusion, and a detachment he was struggling to maintain. It wouldn't let her relax. She knew he was seething beside her in some kind of frustration, even if his face was expressionless, the wheels in his mind turning and grinding like clock gears. She could almost envision the angry knit of his eyebrows as his gaze punctured the darkness and bored holes in the wall on the far side of the room.

(Scene Two)

The fact that Trowa had been on surveillance duty when it happened didn't stop Duo from telling him all about it. Trowa wasn't exactly sure how Duo had found out about Heero and Relena's odd behavior the night before, but he didn't let his curiosity show as he listened to a rather dramatized account of the events over their morning coffee.

Duo sat in a chair with his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. "Oh man, just _think_ of the torture!" He squeezed his eyes shut as if in pain. "Talk about blue balls! Did you see it? Tro?"

"Yes, Duo," Trowa replied patiently. "I was on duty."

Trowa didn't think physical pain was what had been what most occupied Heero's mind from the events of the previous night, but he didn't say so.

Duo didn't seem to care about his opinion anyway. He carried on with his description, forgetting, Trowa supposed, that Trowa had seen it already. "She had him so worked up with that back rub and all that necking. And the way she smiled and talked… You would almost think she planned it! Even Heero can't pretend he wasn't expecting more. When they went upstairs…" He stopped abruptly, a slight pinkness stained his cheeks. "Not that I was going to watch or anything!" he amended, and Trowa knew he was recalling the embarrassment of when they all watched the video feed a bit too long. "It's just," Duo continued, "I don't know, a blow to the male species or something. Man!"

Trowa set his coffee down and kept his face perfectly straight. "Hilde has never shut you down?"

Duo's eyes bulged. If he looked panicked before, now he looked positively wild, staring at Trowa as if he had never seen him before. "No!" He said, almost too quickly, as if responding on autopilot, and then added after barely a breath, "She doesn't….No. She would never. I mean…" When Trowa said nothing and made no response, he paused and hedged, his eyes darting around the room and his body shifting around in his seat like a fly pegged to a paper plate by one wing. "Well… Geez! Not on _camera_ anyway," he amended in a whisper louder than his normal talking voice.

Ah-ha, Trowa thought, though he kept a blank expression. Apparently the real problem was that the feminine-devised blow to the male species was now _public_ rather than private. Trowa sipped his coffee and tried not to look amused as Duo flushed and started yammering nonsense to qualify what he meant.

Trowa took the opportunity to pick up his newspaper and quickly find an article about some legislation on L1 to absorb him. He was dimly aware of Duo repeating the story of Heero's "shut down" experience, this time with even more embellishments, to a newly arrived Wufei. The conditions of gravity generators on L1 were fascinating.

"Are you even listening to me?" demanded a very irritated Wufei a few minutes later. Trowa blinked and looked up. His Chinese comrade was addressing him and he looked more hostile than usual.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you letting this idiot watch the videos?" Wufei asked, ignoring Duo's indignant sputtering at the out-and-out insult. Trowa didn't bother explaining that he hadn't given Duo the videos to watch. "It's bad enough doing this mission with that untrained diplomat in the first place without Heero losing his cool because of her misplaced feelings. But fueling office gossip? This is a serious breach of conduct! I thought we were professionals, not old women with nothing better to do!"

"So did I."

None of them had heard the door open over Wufei's anger, but they all cringed at the sound of that all-too familiar hollow, dark voice.

Heero stood in the doorway, his face calm but his eyes blazing fury fit to roast the lot of them like kabobs on a skewer. Normally Trowa wasn't one to feel ashamed, but he found something else to look at faster than Duo, and probably felt twice as guilty. Wufei's face was devoid of expression, blank as a slate, but his sudden loss of righteous anger was telling.

For a moment they sat there, all still except Duo, who gazed at floor like a scolded dog, brow knitted and teeth clamped shut. That or he was doing research for a dissertation on tile patterns.

Heero maneuvered around them silently to the coffee pot, and no wonder. He looked tired, worn out even, though he didn't say anything. Trowa wondered how frayed his emotions must be to make him look that physically exhausted.

"Where's Relena?" Duo asked.

Wufei kicked him under the table.

"At work," Heero answered stoically. "Since six." Taking his coffee black in a travel mug (was he going somewhere?), he walked past them, not saying anything more until he reached the doorway. "You can tell Une I expect tactical reports for mission profile on my desk by noon. I also want to know more about Cole, everything our intelligence has provided, or I will contact Dorothy Catalonia myself for the information. You can tell Une I said I need to check up on the rest of you to make sure you're really doing your jobs, since you seem to let so many other distractions take up your time." With that, he was gone.

Duo held in his wince until Heero was out of the room and then took it out on Wufei with a return kick. "I'm just concerned," he said stubbornly, though it didn't make sense to justify it to them. "It may not look like it, but I really care what happens with those two!"

Trowa didn't say anything.

(Scene Three)

Relena didn't know how long she stared at the wall. She had left the house without saying hardly anything this morning, had crept out of bed quietly and gone to work without making an attempt at conversation. Heero hadn't gotten up at all, though he must have been awake.

It bothered her. The whole situation. She had gotten her revenge in a way, but she was not satisfied. She didn't know any more now than she ever did. It's all she had been able to think about while pretending to sleep last night. Maybe Heero _wanted_ her, but that didn't tell her about the way he really felt. Besides, she knew he was acting to keep up a pretense that they were newly married and wholly into one another. His falling for her seduction, even though it had been denied, might have been a decision he made to keep up the pretense—or even to spare her feelings. Perhaps she had transferred some of her irritation back to him, but it didn't give her what she wanted, or tell her what she needed to know.

Her heart ached.

A knock came at her door and her secretary poked her head through. "Miss Relena? Heero Yuy here to see you."

Relena blinked. "Send him in."

He came in silently, shutting the door behind him, a travel mug of coffee in the hand that had a wedding ring on the fourth finger. He must have come here right from work.

"We need to talk," he said.

Relena's heart jumped. They were off camera.

Her mouth parted, and without thinking, the tangle knotted up insider her breast came out in a torrent. "Heero, this is too hard. Do you have feelings for me? Do you love me? Please, tell me if you do or if you don't. I love you. Can't you just tell me how you feel?"

He looked at her sadly, his face almost seeming to crumple under the weight of her questions. "That's not why I came here. I don't think it's a good idea to discuss…"

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked. "What happened between us was…" She bit her lip. She thought he might have flushed. "Heero, I _know_ you were ordered—I found out—and I can't live like this, not even for a week." The desperation that crept into her voice covered the tremor of tears she kept trying to choke back. "I can't do this! I need this to be real. I need to feel that it is going to last! I can't play this role without knowing that you really love me!"

He was silent for a moment, and the silence stretched as they stared at each other. For a moment she thought she had dealt him some kind of blow. Then, to her surprise, he approached her. Eyes softening, he leaned across her desk and kissed her on the cheek, all of him seeming to soften as a little smile cracked the poker exterior of his face. She became like putty under that gaze, trembling as the object of his stare. "I love you, Relena," he whispered.

There were no cameras.

Elation rushed through her like a spring flood, all the icicles thawing into warm puddles.

But then, as soon as he said it, Heero turned away from her and left, closing the door behind him, and something—she realized slowly through a giddy haze—felt left undone.

It wasn't until later that she realized with horror that she had compromised the truth..

In revealing to Heero that she_ couldn't do the mission without an answer from him_, she had told him what the answer _had_ to be. She forced a particular answer from him. She compelled him into saying that he loved her in order for the mission to succeed, which—especially for Heero—it must, whether he truly loved her or not.

She let out a cry of frustration, banging her hand on the desk. Shoulders shaking, she hid her eyes behind her hand even though there was no one there to see, catching the tears before they fell.

She was no closer to knowing how he really felt now than she had ever been, with the only difference being that she could no longer rely on a simple question to Heero in privacy for an answer! He would NEVER tell her now, not until the mission was over for certain, and who knew if it even _mattered_ then?

It wasn't good enough! It wasn't…

The phone rang.

Relena answered it mechanically, and realization dawned on her the moment she heard the cool, smooth tones of the speaker. Was it coincidence that Dorothy called now?

"Well, Miss Relena? Have you had any time to reconsider my proposal?"

To be continued

Zapenstap: I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this update, but I can't qualify it because I've been swamped with work in my grad school program and just don't have the time I used to.

Mizaya: We grovel at your feet and beg your mercy!

Zapenstap: Of course, you needn't worry. The fic will continue until the stunning, twisty, heart-stopping, tear-jerking, laughter-inducing, climactic ending!

Mizaya: interested The what?

Zapenstap: I think grandly.

Mizaya: Oh.

Zapenstap: ...and we won't wait five months this time for the next update.

Mizaya: Seriously!

Zapenstap: Thank you to all our wonderful reviews!

Mizaya: You really make our days brighter!


	8. Mission Usurped

**Final Mission Status**

By Mizaya and Zapenstap

Chapter 8

Relena waited in her brother's office, fidgeting with her hands in her lap and trying to quell the butterflies gallivanting in her stomach. She had come straight here after her disturbing conversation with Dorothy on the phone, frustration, weakness and desperation having brewed up a storm of emotions that propelled her out of her office and across town before she thought about things too deeply. On the way, she had managed to compose herself, but even though Relena and Zechs had not grown up together, learning nuances from a childhood in each other's company, the fact that the usually collected and reserved Vice Foreign Minister had called him out of Une's office for an immediate and private counsel must certainly tell him that something was wrong.

"Relena," Zechs said gruffly as he entered his office, giving her the once over with ice blue, impassive eyes. "I would like to say it is good to see you, but under the circumstances it might be unwise for you to have come here. If Cole is having you tracked, he will be suspicious." He circled the desk and took his own seat before meeting her eyes.

They stared at one another, siblings that were almost strangers, yet with a familial regard and mutual protectiveness beneath the surface that had somehow persisted despite the distinct separation in their lives. In spite of the formality of this meeting, it had to be enough. He was her only hope; the last resort.

"I can't meet my brother for lunch?" Relena asked, trying to sound surprised, but most likely only managing to sound stressed. When his gaze did not soften, she folded her hands in her lap and lifted her chin regally. "I am not a complete fool, Milliardo. I figured you would have some apprehension about my coming here, so I made sure to remind my secretary that my dear brother and I had been planning on lunch for today. If anyone checks for me at the office—anyone—the reason for my trip here will appear to have been documented weeks ago."

Zechs' eyes remained inexpressive as she pulled a large paper bag from beneath her chair and began setting up a take-out lunch of a deli sandwiches, apples and some orange juice for two on the desk. "Anyway," she said, casting her eyes down on the wood under her red apple and sandwich, "It is imperative that we meet. I need to talk to you." She paused, and knew he knew what it was about by the sudden intensity of his stare. She took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about the mission. I know you must know about what has happened recently and I need to ask you to do something for me." Face flushing, she swallowed and forced herself to look up, twisting her hands helplessly in her lap. Her more intimate relations with Heere were not easy to talk about, or even to talk around, with Milliardo.

Zechs's muscles tensed as he raked her with his eyes, assessing, she was sure, her stability and well-being. She knew he was thinking of the recent events to which she had alluded without having to name them, and she could tell what he thought of them by the way his jaw locked as he brooded.

Lowering her eyes, Relena spread a napkin on her lap and began to pick uselessly at her turkey sandwich while Zechs ignored his own. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. Her silence communicated what she wanted her brother to know. At length, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"I don't like the mission any more than you do. Less, I'm sure," he added with a meaningful growl. "Relena," Zechs continued in a tone that was defensive and forceful, "it was against my wishes for…what happened…to happen at all, but…"

Steeling herself, Relena met his icy eyes with her own and cut him off. "I found out about the order, Milliardo. Or rather, I found out that it _was_ an order."

Zechs' face blanched slightly. For a moment there was silence between them, a deathly quiet that pervaded every cranny of space in the room until the pressure against Relena's lungs made her doubt she was still breathing. When Zechs finally spoke, his voice had dropped to a deep and menacing rumble that might have frightened her if she had been the target of his anger. "There wasn't anything else that could be done. Cole was suspicious. If it wasn't absolutely necessary I would remove Yuy from your presence bodily, Relena. Today. With my bare hands if I had to."

Relena didn't say anything. When Relena had told Dorothy not to do anything, she meant it, but making sure the agreement was kept... Relena pushed the memory of Dorothy's words out of her mind. She could do this. Even if it was her brother, she could do what needed to be done.

"Are you okay about it?" Zechs asked her inadequately, but in a quiet, anxious tone, concerned for the little sister he had spent so many years protecting from afar. How it must hurt him to be in this situation! Relena sensed that he hated everything about the mission. He and Heero had always clashed—somewhat because they were too much alike and competitive in all the same areas. Zechs had never wanted Heero too close to his sister, and yet here he was: forced into approving what he must privately condemn, in a situation that left him no clear target to blame.

And now Relena was forced into the position of having to take advantage of their mutual vulnerability. She avoided Zechs' eyes, forcing herself to remember details of her night with Heero and the betrayal she felt upon learning the truth to give her the courage to continue.

"Milliardo," she said in her firmest, negotiating tone, the tone she used when she was being her most formal, the tone that was obviously a contrivance to anyone who knew her personally. "You know you can't remove Heero from my presence at this time and I will not ask it of you. I recognize the importance of the job I have been asked to do."

"I'm glad you see the severity of the situation. I hope you understand that I would never have allowed Yuy to touch you if there was any way to avoid..."

Relena cut him off hastily. "I know, and I understand, but now that necessity has passed. So I have to ask you…" she bit her lip, steeling herself, perspiring slightly, "for my emotional well-being, I have to ask you to _order_ Heero _not_ to have sex with me again." She managed to keep her voice firm and clear on those last few, uncomfortable words, but her body was shaking when she finished. "Please."

A minute of silence stretched between them.

"Relena," Zechs said in all-too-quiet tones, "assure me you are not hurting from this as much as it is sounding. I want to oblige your wishes and respect your privacy, but this is a complicated matter. It isn't a game. I can't just…"

She lifted her chin so he could see the shimmer of tears forming in her eyes, and locked her expression to reflect the desperate grip with which she managed to hold on to the storm . Her heart beat violently against her ribs. "No, you're right, Milliardo, it isn't," she said with frosty clarity. "It's my _life_. And you _can to_ just! You've already gone behind my back and made personal decisions for me. This time I would like to make one for myself. I did what you wanted. Cole saw it. Everyone knows about it. The order has served its purpose and my so-called marriage has been consummated. All parties are satisfied. Now let me take back some control over what happens in my home and to my very body, even if it _is_ staged for a camera. You don't know what it feels like to not even be consulted about personal decisions made for you. You know how I feel about Heero—everyone seems to—but I don't know how he feels about me and I can't sleep at night wondering what is going to happen between us from day to day or what our intimacy means. I won't have it! Not when things are this personal, not with the stakes this high. I never know what Heero is going to be ordered to do one day to the next or what I am supposed to believe and it is too much for me to bear. Please, order Heero not to have sex with me again. Don't give him excuses or explanations. Don't even tell him it was my wish! Just order him not to…." She looked away, biting her lip to hold back tears.

Zechs' stony silence was hard to read, but his face had paled under her deluge and it seemed an effort for him to loosen his locked jaw. "All right. I understand; you needn't get hysterical. Please don't cry. I need to discuss it with Une for approval, but if Cole truly is satisfied by what he has seen so far then you can be sure I will order Heero myself for what you have asked. Now please," he added more gently, "go home. I'll take care of everything. It's best if you're not seen anywhere near this facility, scheduled luncheons or not. Remember that we are trying to keep you safe."

"Thank you, Milliardo," she said quietly, and throwing the remainder of her lunch together, she got up hastily from her chair and hurried from the room, closing the door behind her.

She paused for a moment in the hall, leaning her head against the heavy door and allowed herself to smile slightly into the darkness between her face and the wood.

Mission accomplished.

She knew her brother wouldn't tell Heero that she had requested the order or even that she had personally been to see him; Zechs wasn't one to admit to other people making his decisions often and seemed to prefer that Heero knew as little about her as possible. That was one comforting thought among all the other frightening ones:

For example, how it galled her to have taken _Dorothy's _advice!

It didn't help much knowing that if she hadn't done it, she wouldn't have been able to stop Dorothy from taking matters into her own hands and coming here herself. At Relena's hesitation, the blonde had sworn on her father's grave that she would march into Milliardo's office and demand or manipulate what Relena had just pleaded for if Relena was "unwilling to listen to simple logic." Relena had listened in disturbed silence while Dorothy had lamented over the atrocity of the Preventors trampling on Relena's privacy and toying with her heart, and it made Relena's skin crawl wondering what the girl's true concerns and motives were. Despite her best intentions to give even Dorothy the benefit of the doubt, imagination only stretched so far. She didn't like agreeing to do anything Dorothy suggested.

At first, Relena had begged her to be reasonable. What would it accomplish, ordering Heero not to sleep with her? It would give her some semblance of control and peace of mind, perhaps, as was the reason she had given to her brother, but it wouldn't get her any closer to what she really wanted and it would lose her the comfort of Heero's arms—whatever that was worth. She had even objected to Dorothy that Heero's behaving coldly toward her would endanger the mission, and that was not at all what she wanted.

Dorothy hadn't given her arguments much credit. She had only laughed, a sweet sound like a bird trilling:

"_I didn't say he should be ordered to be cold," _she had said all-too practically, _"but you have to wrest a confession of Heero Yuy's feelings for you one way or another while this opportunity lasts or I can guarantee that you will never know. He will surely disappear the moment his obligations to you are at an end; that's just the kind of person he is. Waiting or begging will bring you nothing. You must become an active player, Miss Relena, and change the situation to your advantage and control, because you are clearly at a disadvantage the way things are now."_

There had come a pause while Relena chewed on this information. In her heart, she knew that Dorothy was right. Even if Heero did really love her, she doubted he would ever tell her so on his own accord. She didn't understand why, but she knew that Dorothy was right: that was just the kind of person Heero was. He had left the status of their relationship to silence so many times that there was no reason to believe this would be any different, especially considering all the evasions he had made just in the last few days. If she truly wanted to know, she must raise the stakes.

And then came the revelation that socked Relena straight in the gut:

"_Tell me, Miss Relena, what is the one thing that the great soldier, Heero Yuy, disregards orders for?"_

Relena had frowned. It had not occurred to her that Heero disregarded orders ever, for any reason, but with a little thought she had managed to tally up a number of instances where Heero had seemed to have acted on his own, sometimes counter to the mission he was given, and the pattern dawned on her at the exact moment Dororthy purred out at answer. Indeed, it was the thing she had always loved most about Heero, and the implications both frightened and excited her.

"_Heero always follows his _emotions, _Miss Relena. It's both his strength and his weakness. But unfortunately, up to this point it has been unclear if his orders have coincided with his heart's desire or not. So far one has served doubly to fulfill the other and thus have been indistinguishable, but what if they were opposite?"_

Dorothy's voice had dripped with ruthlessness

"_Think about it. Suppose Heero were ordered not to sleep with you? If he doesn't care for you, this will not bother him and you will likely sense it. And if he does care for you…? Well, here is what I think: If Heero's heart is truly yours and you make it difficult for him to deny his desire—encouragement which will not be difficult given your forced proximity—he will stop fighting it. He is not a fool. It will meet his objectives to ignore anything anyone orders him to do that goes counter to both his instincts as well as his emotions. After all, loving you won't endanger the mission, only the seeming-wish of your dear brother."_

It was against Relena's instincts to be so manipulative, but she was desperate, so here they were.

Of course, there were many loopholes. Une or her brother might decide that her request was endangering the mission if Heero and Relena's lack of continuing intimacy failed to convince Cole that they were newlyweds, especially when Heero was supposedly in danger of losing Relena to Cole. And, of course, Dorothy's prediction could fail: Heero could choose not to break orders even if he did love Relena. And there was also the opposite possibility. Heero had always protected Relena in the past, and this wasn't any different. Heero could break orders and sleep with Relena based more on his instincts than his feelings if he felt that was best for the mission, and she still would not know anything for sure.

And yet, she felt she would have a better idea. After all, it was one thing to sleep with someone pretending you love them when ordered and quite another to initiate it independently and against the orders of one's superiors. Heero's logical instincts would have to be pretty strong to do something like that, whereas his heart would compel him both emotionally _and_ instinctively. So maybe she _would_ know. Besides…

"_Which would be better?" _Dorothy had asked insidiously._ "Having sex with Heero because he was ordered to do it, or because he found it important enough to break orders for, whatever the reason? Either way, at least it would really be his choice."_

Relena almost never let her emotions get the best of her, but as she had gathered her coat and papers in her office while listening to Dorothy's proposal, she almost wanted to slap the smugness off Dorothy's face. And it was because she was right. It would be much better to have Heero break orders, even if it was just to ensure the safety of the mission and not out of love.

And if he didn't?

She planned to lay her heart at his feet. If there was no response, that would tell her something too.

Biting her lip, Relena pushed herself off of Zechs' door and made her way down the long tiled hallway toward the lobby. When she first learned of this mission a part of her had wanted to enjoy the surrealism of a lie and let everything go smoothly according to a charade, but it had all backfired when she realized how much she wanted to farce to be real, and how much she needed to know if it wasn't! Now she was taking advice from a woman who had questionable motivations at best, and had gone with manipulative intentions to her brother to ask him to order the man she loved not to have sex with her anymore. She had chosen Zechs because she knew he was vulnerable to her frailty and would do whatever she asked if he thought she was falling apart. At least that part was not entirely untrue. Her week had gone from blissful to humiliating to desperate in a series of stomach-dropping plunges. Whatever lengths she went to for whatever reason, it was because the fragility of her emotions was real; she had never been so vulnerable as her love for Heero Yuy had made her.

* * *

All of the cadets and lesser officers saluted Trowa as he passed. The former Gundam pilots were well known and respected Preventers, but Trowa was of particular reputation in the office headquarters. For one thing he was involved in training and approachable, unlike his more solitary companions, Wufei and Heero. And although Duo was friendly with recruits, his joking nature made them think of him as more of a buddy than a commander. Therefore it was Trowa the men came to with questions, or applied to work under. 

Each of the Gundam pilots, along with Zechs, Noin, and Sally Po, specialized in his or her own particular area of Preventor Operations. Some of them were in and out of headquarters daily and others were only called in physically for special missions, such as the one they were currently handling. Over the years they had all worked together on missions occasionally, and answered to Lady Une when it came down to the line, but day to day they specialized in different fields. Wufei and Sally, for example, worked together in technological advancements and field operations; separately, Wufei was in charge of logistics and Sally honed her special ops team. The two of them were seen daily at headquarters, and always had their own offices and support teams. Duo, on the other hand, was a part-time Preventor employee, called in often enough to be part of the team, but also away frequently on his own business, usually in the Colonies. His special field was stealth operations and there was no one better when a mission required his kind of expertise. Heero, of course, excelled at everything, but usually handled various aspects of security when officially assigned to a Preventor's mission profile. He did his work independently if he could manage it, rarely seen at headquarters unless specifically requested, and only sometimes officially on the payroll. Even Quatre was involved, although he wasn't officially a Preventor due to his business obligations, but he used his connections and his position of power to act as a liaison between the Preventors and the business world in the Colonies. Zechs and Noin had paired up to handle most of the recruit training and were frequently at headquarters if not at the training facilities. Trowa participated in that as well, but where Zechs and Noin headed tactical command, Trowa was in charge of networking and surveillance.

_That_ task, along with his relationship with cadets, made Trowa the perfect man to run a different department, a department that everyone had some inkling existed, but not who oversaw it.

Trowa was in charge of internal affairs. He was quiet and efficient and no one suspected someone so straight-faced and direct to head a department so notoriously connected with deceit and subterfuge. But Trowa was a natural spy really, and had experience enough from the war, as Une knew better than most. So in actuality, despite his reputation for simple upfront honesty, Trowa secretly knew by heart the details of the lives of each cadet who saluted him as he passed through one of the lower level corridors.

It was this kind of information that led him discover the mole in their midst. Although Douglas Richmond wasn't the first mole in Preventor ranks, he was currently the most dangerous. Luckily, Trowa had a fail-safe policy in dealing with moles: He let them think they were undiscovered and carry on with their business.

And he carried on with his.

One of Trowa's regular duties was doing office rounds to check on Preventors, especially ones in his department. Richmond was a surveillance tech, and he was due for a routine inspection from Commander Barton.

He only knocked on the door as a courtesy before opening it to reveal a tiny office crowded with video feeds, half dissected electronics, and a slight man with dark hair and a thin face. There was barely room for Trowa to get in the room and close the door behind him.

Richmond immediately switched the image on his screen to the weapons facility he was supposed to be watching, but Trowa saw the telltale decor of Relena's house before the picture changed. Trowa was surprised, but didn't let it show on his that he had seen the feed, or anything out of the ordinary.

"Commander Barton," Douglas said calmly, making his formalities but not standing, as there wasn't room.

"Private Richmond," Trowa acknowledged. "How's the Libyan base? Are the transfers going as scheduled?"

Douglas typed rapidly on his keyboard and brought up different views of the base. "Yes, Commander. There's been no irregular activity, and the trucks are being loaded up now for transport. They should arrive in Morocco on time."

"Good. Good work, Richmond. Leave a report with Commander Une when they arrive."

Trowa left him and continued on his rounds of the surveillance unit before heading for Une's office himself. Richmond had been sloppy with his feeds; his knock on the door should have given him plenty of time to change them before Trowa entered. So why hadn't he? Was he involved with something else that caused him not to hear the knock perhaps? Trowa had spotted a com-link half hidden by one of the monitors that didn't look to be of Preventor-make. Trowa already had the com-link Richmond used to communicate with Cole tapped. This must be a new one. Richmond may have been having a conversation the moment Trowa entered the room; that would explain why he didn't hear the knock and was slow to change the feeds. Was it with Cole? Did a new com-link mean Richmond was aware he was being watched? Or just being cautious?

In the two days before the mission, Trowa would have to find out. It might not alter their plans at all, but it might also have devastating consequences.

"You can go right in, Commander Barton," Margaret told him unnecessarily from her desk outside Une's large office.

Trowa was apparently the last one to arrive. He walked into Une's office and stood in the back of the room, observing from the rear the last meeting of the core members of the strike team assembled to nullify the threat of nuclear fallout in North America. He counted eight people: Duo, Sally, Noin, Zechs, Wufei, Une, Heero and himself. The initial phase of the mission would soon be set in motion; the first team was leaving tonight.

Une flicked her eyes at him briefly, scanned everyone who had gathered in the room to be sure everyone was there, and then used her remote to switch on her screen. "As you can see, Cole's compound is butted up against Yucca Mountain. If the blueprints Dorothy Catalonia gave us are correct, the nuclear waste containers are approximately five hundred meters from the house, where the Vice Foreign Minister will be meeting him. While his attention is diverted with their negotiations, we'll secure the waste and disarm any explosives he might have rigged to it.

"We want the talking to go on as long as possible," she said, eyeing Heero, "so we aren't discovered. Po and Maxwell, you will be heading out tonight to begin field reconnaissance. You need to verify that all our current intelligence is correct. In addition, if Cole has the containers guarded, as we think he will, you need to find a quiet way to neutralize the area and circumvent any threat of the alarm being raised during the meeting."

"No problem!" Duo said zealously.

"And," Lady Une added, leveling Duo with a schooling gaze, "if there's no quiet way to secure the nuclear waste, do it by any means necessary. We predict that anyone allowed inside Cole's house will be scanned for com-links and weapons, and that those things will be removed. Therefore, no one at the meet will have communication with anyone outside. However, we are quite sure that Cole _will_ have access to the detonator from inside. This means that if something goes wrong with securing the nuclear waste, Cole will be sure to hear about it while the rest of us will be left in the dark. Therefore, if some calamity occurs, the field team needs to make a big enough fuss that _everyone_ knows. It would be potential disaster for something to go wrong outside and have those of us escorting Miss Darilan on the inside to be unaware of it. We want to avoid putting anyone's life in danger, so use extreme caution and try to do things quietly, but if it can't be avoided, we want to be sure everyone knows they _are_ in danger so we can take steps to prevent a catastrophe."

Using a pointer to indicate location on the screen, Une continued as if she had said nothing potentially ominous. "At the time of the meeting, Barton will be stationed here to keep an eye on both Richmond and the satellite imagery of the property. Noin, you will be here, just east of the property, with your tactical team. If anything goes wrong, Duo will call you in to help. Zechs, you will escort Relena to the meeting along with Chang and Yuy. If Maxwell calls Noin in, get the situation inside under control.

"Cole said he will allow Relena three escorts, and that two of his men will be present, as well. We know he has more men than that—so do we—but where they will be located is unknown. If anything looks suspicious during the meeting, other than the fact a crazed man will be attempting to marry Relena," she added with a pointed look at Zechs an Heero, both of whom were glowering, "get her out of there immediately.

"If the containers are secured as planned and nothing goes amiss with the meeting, Heero, you take Relena to the jet. As soon as she is safe, Noin will move her team in. You have all studied the protocol for how the mission should go if everything proceeds smoothly, but if something goes amiss, I trust that by the time we're done we will have secured nuclear waste, a safe politician, and an apprehended aristocrat! Are there any questions?"

There were none. Even Duo seemed confident in everything he was supposed to do. As the meeting began to break up, Heero strode swiftly past the others on his way out, his eyes blazing with an intensity that could only mean he too was more than ready for the tactical aspect of the mission to begin.

After the briefing, when everyone had left the room and the door shut behind them, Trowa walked towards Une's desk to let her know about his suspicions concerning Richmond. "Commander Une, I have intelligence to report," he said.

"What is it, Trowa?" she asked, her manner casual now that they were alone, but her attention still sharp.

"I made my rounds today and spotted an unregistered com-link on Richmond's desk. I believe he was in the middle of a conversation when I entered the room."

Une didn't bother to ask any questions. Trowa knew she trusted him to take care of it. "Find out what you can. We begin as scheduled in two days. We have reason to believe that Cole is pacified by what he saw the other night on the mission site, but I don't want any new surprises."

"I'm going to run through com channels as soon as I get back to my office, and see if I can't pick up this new one," he said, remembering with an internal grimace the hours of sleep he had already lost listening on the channel Richmond regularly used with Cole.

Une nodded and dismissed him with a pensive look and a wave of her hand.

Trowa left the room and was heading back down the corridor when he was slowed by a curious scene:

Everyone had gone back to work already and the hallway was empty… except for Zechs and Heero. Those two were standing at the end of the corridor just out of earshot, Zechs talking and Heero staring sightlessly at the wall behind Zechs' head. It was unusual to see them together, and Trowa could only think of one thing they had in common to talk about. At first, Zechs seemed to be rebuking Heero. Heero glowered after something the older man said and made a curt reply that didn't seem to pacify the look of tightly-controlled anger in Zechs' expression. Zechs continued to talk, seemingly in a more moderate tone of voice, his gestures and body posture indicating that whatever they were discussing was at least partly business. Heero didn't say anything this time, but his expression was so hard, his face might have been chiseled from rock. After a moment, he nodded, and then nodded again. Zechs lowered his arms to his sides and stopped speaking and as Trowa approached close enough to hear, he heard Heero say in a flat, emotionless voice, "Is that all?" Zechs' reply was too soft too decipher, but assumingly it was in the affirmative because by the time Trowa was within true hearing distance, both men turned and headed in opposite directions. Heero brushed by him without speaking, and in his wake left a hollow, heart-freezing chill.

* * *

The house was warm and quiet. As soon as Relena walked in she began preparing for Heero as if he really were a husband dearly loved. She turned down the bed, cleaned up the kitchen and the study, turned up the heat and cooked some soup for dinner. 

She wanted to be done with games. She was still playing because she had to, but she had completely changed her modus operandi. Instead of a flirty nightgown she wore what she had always worn to bed before Heero had ever set foot over the threshold of her door: a simple cotton set of tank top and shorts in pale pink. She was preparing him dinner because she thought he might be hungry, and she had turned up the heat because she didn't want either of them to be cold.

Her seduction of Heero the night before wasn't really her. It had seemed to work, and it had its benefits in the element of surprise if it had been done in playfulness, but the anger she felt at the time was contrary to her instincts and they both knew it. He had rattled her and she had wanted to rattle him in return, but now that it was done, it wasn't want she wanted. Now that was no longer angry, she had a different approach; one that she prayed would work because it was essentially all she really had. She would just be herself, and see if Heero wanted her for her. That's what she really wanted.

She just wished she didn't have to keep guessing and interpreting and wondering how he felt. Why couldn't he just _communicate_?

"What are you making?"

She yelped and jumped. A few drops of vegetable soup fell to the floor from her wooden spoon as she spun around to see Heero standing in the kitchen just behind her.

"Heero! I…I didn't hear the door open." Her face flushed with embarrassment, her heart beating rapidly. She must have leapt a foot!

Heero had been in the process of removing his jacket and throwing it over her dinette chair when he walked in, but he stopped to stare at her with something like amusement in his eyes after her reaction to his ghost-like entrance. Relena blushed sheepishly. For a moment, it seemed as if they were a married couple taking pleasure in startling the other, but the longer he regarded her, the more contemplative his eyes became, his assessing stare turning puzzled and questioning. She understood, though she couldn't say anything; he had been ordered not to sleep with her and perhaps suspected she was behind it. That or he was wondering if he had hurt her in some way to bring about such an order.

"Sorry," he said after a moment.

Relena bent down to wipe up the soup with a dishrag as she answered. "Don't worry about it. Um, I've been making us dinner. Does vegetable soup sound good to you?" When she straightened she found Heero inches from her, his coat now hung over the chair and his hand reaching out to take the dishrag from her fingers.

"Yeah."

Rather than respond, she dipped her spoon back in the simmering liquid and blew on it before offering him a taste. He tasted it without checking the temperature at all, and if it was hot it didn't seem to faze him.

"How is it?" she asked. For some reason, it mattered to her.

"Mm."

His short answers were frustrating. She put the spoon back and entwined her hand in Heero's shirt, pulling herself to his side so she could hold him in a half embrace and rest her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend that things were not complicated. "How was your day?" she whispered.

The pause was barely noticeable. "Good. How was yours?"

"Not too eventful, thankfully," she said.

Heero pulled away from her and began ladling her soup into two ceramic bowls. She stood helplessly while he took care of everything, carrying the bowls to the table, turning down the heat on the stove, and retrieving napkins and spoons. She followed him as he went to sit down, sitting across from him and letting him push in her chair before they began to eat dinner. "I had a chance to catch up on some correspondence and reports," she said truthfully while Heero added pepper to his soup.

"That's good."

Relena tried to keep the conversation going for a little while they ate, but Heero was quiet and eventually she just let him be. She knew he was thinking, likely wondering how to react to her in a way that would seem loving and passionate but would not lead to something he could not finish. Would he have to worry about wanting her? Relena suspected he might, because she wanted him and it was difficult to pretend she did not. He must have been thinking about their night together too, likely had been thinking about it since it occurred; after all, even with everything it had been nice, more than nice, and now—given her behavior yesterday and now the new order—he was left wondering how to proceed. Relena could only hope that Dorothy's advice would pay off and Heero would simply choose to reveal his feelings now that he wasn't being pressured to behave in a way that was so contrived. Then she could tell him the new order really didn't matter to her, that she loved him and wanted to express that love, and things would just...happen, and this time be because of real feelings.

Heero took her bowl to the sink with his and began washing the dishes after they had finished their meal. In silence, Relena watched him scrub and rinse the plates before covering the remaining soup to store in the refrigerator. She felt oddly elated watching him perform household chores in her house; it didn't seem out of place. He didn't seem out of place.

"Is everything okay?" he asked when he noticed her staring.

"Yes," she said quickly, and wondered if he was referring to something other than the spaced-out look she must have had on her face. Could it have hurt Heero to receive an order that must have come because something he had done distressed her? She only wished she could straighten everything out.

Some time later they retired to the study, agreeing without verbal communication that that's where they would like to spend the evening on a night like this, reading in the cozy warmth of soft leather, dark wood paneling, and reflected firelight. Relena loved this room and she loved the time she spent in it with Heero. She knew she was becoming too accustomed to it even, but somehow it felt as though they had been whiling away their evenings in her study for much longer than five days.

As usual, Heero had chosen to sit in one of the two armchairs with a giant book about warfare on his lap and a cup of coffee in one hand. Smiling, Relena grabbed a thick folder from her desk and—moving uncharacteristically away from her desk—sat down on the floor at his feet, leaning half against the chair and half against his legs. It surprised her when she felt his fingers combing through her hair and gently massaging her scalp and neck.

"What are you reading?" he asked in a soft, interested tone.

Relena set her own cup of coffee down and twisted to smile up at him. "Oh, it's quite dull. Are you sure you want to hear about it? They're minutes from a meeting of delegates between L3 and China to discuss the lumber trade. It seems some of the wealthier inhabitants of the colony have decided exotic woods to be the new trend. Fascinating, isn't it?"

He smiled. "Hn."

"I warned you," she said, and kissed the side of his knee.

When she did, Heero stared at her for what seemed like an hour before leaning down to brush her forehead with a kiss. As he shifted his gaze back to his book, Relena leaned her cheek against Heero's leg and continued to study the folder.

The rest of the night passed rapidly and before Relena knew it she was standing beside Heero at their double sinks while they prepared for bed. She watched in the mirror out of the corner of her eye as he stripped off his pants and shirt and tossed them into the hamper, leaving him ready for bed in nothing but black boxer shorts. The sight made her inhale deeply as she mentally prepared herself for the task at hand.

Tapping her toothbrush against the sink to rinse it of excess water, she put her bathroom things away and then made her way toward the bed. Relena approached Heero at the bedside and met his eyes before running her palms up over his bare chest and wrapping around his neck, hugging him tightly. His arms went around her waist in response, squeezing her in an almost lung-popping hug.

Kissing her way lovingly up his neck, she whispered into his ear in a tone that could only be taken as honest and hopeful. "Heero, I love you."

"I love you, too."

The words still made her breath catch. Looking up, she softened her eyes and let everything that was in her soul bleed through. Then, taking his head gently in her hands, she pulled his lips down to hers. She kissed him with all the passion she felt burning in her chest, moving her lips softly against his and running her hands through his hair. He responded to the kiss with equal fervor, his lips claiming hers and his hands kneading the material around her waist as he pulled her close. A quiet sigh escaped her when he grasped her more tightly to his body. At contact, she felt how aroused he was, but as soon as she brushed too close to him, Heero stepped back. His expression was still gentle, the softness in his eyes caressing her from afar, but he stood at a safe distance.

"Heero," she began, "let's go to bed."

If she had been expecting a grand gesture like being swept into his arms and laid out on the bed, she was disappointed. It surprised her how much she wished something like that would happen, but he merely nodded and moved to the other side of the bed before sliding in under the covers. Relena followed suit on her own side, and as her bare legs hit the sheets she began to think how to show Heero that she wanted him without looking like a fool if he declined.

Inhibitions were tamped down fiercely when she skimmed under the satin sheets and collided softly with his body. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed, though he apparently expected her attack because his arms had already wrapped around her waist by the time she sought his lips. His kiss was sweet, but chaste, and the more she tried to arouse his passion by wiggling closer, even going so far as to wrap one leg over his and lifting her chest so she ended up directly on top of his torso, the tighter his arms wrapped around her until she couldn't move at all.

After he had her safely secured where he seemingly wanted her, Heero at first seemed to respond to her proximity and his own questing thoughts, though perhaps unconsciously. One of his hands traveled down her hip to trace patterns on her bare leg. His lips kissed her neck, moving in little increments from place to place as if not sure where he wanted to go. Relena rocked against the thigh she was straddling and sighed when he forsook her mouth to kiss trails along her collarbone. When she worked her way up to his ear, his eyes closed.

"I love you," she whispered.

And then it was ending.

Heero's hands began to shift her gently so that she rolled off him. His lips weren't leaving increasingly erotic paths on her body but kissed her cheeks and shoulders in an affectionate, but chaste way. When he kissed her on the lips, she knew it was a finalizing. After a moment, he tried to turn her around.

In one last attempt, Relena squirmed out of his arms and inched her way on top of his chest. She kissed his unresponsive lips and discretely sent one hand under the covers with the intention of rubbing her one-time lover through his boxers and check to see if he still wanted her. However, her hope was dashed when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away, albeit gently. Instead she found herself being turned so that her back was flush against Heero's chest, his arms crossing over her from behind and his legs entwining with hers in an embrace that left her with no space outside of his. Normally she would have swooned from so comfortable and loving an arrangement, but in this case was just a means for him to trap her arms and prevent any further movement.

"I'm tired," he said in her ear, and even more softly into her hair, perhaps beneath detection, "I'm sorry."

Relena nodded and closed her eyes, taking what comfort she could in the warmth of Heero's arms wrapped around her body.

* * *

Hot Nevada sunlight poured through the windows of William Cole's large office, illuminating a neat desk and the imposing man sitting behind it. He idly stroked his mustache with one hand and a picture of Relena Darlian with the other. It was a still shot from his surveillance feeds, showing a peaceful woman asleep in bed, the image somewhat uneven on one edge. _That man_ had been unceremoniously cut out of the black and white photograph; William Cole wasn't fond of him. 

Since finding out about Relena's marriage to that man, Cole had been researching him, looking for some weakness to exploit or reason to doubt their union. Information was abundant, seeing as the boy had been integral to the end of the war, but it was hollow in merit. Nothing about the man, how he worked, or if he even had any weaknesses could be found. Unfortunately for his own plans, Cole's intel was only conclusive in the fact that that man was an unmatched soldier and had a pattern of interaction with Relena Darilan in various forms for many years. His intel reported the belief that he was her protector, or had been at one time.

Cole realized his soft administrations to Relena's two-dimensional face had turned to harsh scratching and he stopped, once again caressing her as he longed to do in life. He wanted to believe that Relena wasn't actually married and the whole thing was a Preventor ruse, but he was starting to worry. They had an odd relationship, so the cameras and microphones told, often quiet and sometimes distant. But there were moments when even he had to admit the tension was thick and full with feelings of some kind. Relena had kissed and touched the man, slept with him at least once that he saw, and although it was not as passionate a relationship as he might have suspected a new marriage to be, he knew Relena Darilan at least to be a proper, conservative lady. Still, there was something off about the whole thing, or so he fancied, and either way he was prepared to get his Relena any way possible, with force or persuasion. The current husband was, after all, expendable.

Relena's quarters were all ready for her arrival. In truth he had started working on it even before he had any plans to make her his own. Finest Italian fabrics and the best Arabian rugs paired with European furniture and a closet full of the most expensive designer clothing had all been hand-selected by him and acquired by the loyalist of his personal staff. He thought they suited her tastes and his as well. The bars on her windows and locks on her future doors were a precaution in case anyone tried to steal her from him. He had them made out of gold. If she requested it, he would even have them encrusted with jewels. In his care, Relena Darlian Cole would have anything she could wish for. No longer would she have to work as a politician and put her life in the limelight or the line of fire. She would be the pampered princess she was born to be.

Sounds of footsteps coming closer had Cole hastily stuffing his stash of Relena pictures and memorabilia in a desk drawer, locking it just as one of his men entered the room. Sometimes he thought they eyed her pictures hungrily so he had taken to keeping them hidden. When she was here, he would not allow anyone to gaze on her or speak with her lest the charm of her presence compel them to do unspeakable things! When all was said and done he would fire anyone that had his hackles raised, for the sake of her safety.

"Mr. Cole?" his servant said from the doorway. "Line two."

Cole nodded and then glared at them man's back until he retreated, waiting to pick up the phone until he was positive the man wasn't lurking to catch a glimpse of his lovely Relena's pictures or overhear his conversation.

"Cole," he announced into the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Cole, and how are you doing today?"

Ah, of course. He should have expected this call. "Is it falling into place?"

"Oh, yes," his caller replied, "Your future wife is doing exactly what we planned. I trust you watched last night's feed, or I guess I should say this morning's for you because of the time difference?"

"Of course," he said, "but I'm still not seeing the benefit of your proposal."

"Trust me, Cole, she's a predictable woman. She'll be yours in two days."

A devilish grin stiffened his mouth. "You are an asset beyond words, Miss Catalonia."

TBC

Mizaya: Woohoo, I'm excited!

Zapenstap: What is going to happen next?

Mizaya: (blink) you are asking me?

Zapenstap: _Readers_, what do you think is going to happen?

Mizaya: That's for us to know and them to find out. Mwahaha!

Zapenstap: (evil)

Mizaya: Yes, I know. Me too! Isn't it great?

Zapenstap: (evil)

Mizaya: Um, are you all right?

Zapenstap: Huh? Oh, absolutely! Anyway, please review and let us know what you thought.

Mizaya: Your reviews so far have been amazing, in both volume and quality!

Zapenstap: (Huggles reviewers)

Mizaya: (Huggles future reviewers)


	9. Mission Altered

Final Mission Status

Chapter 9

By Mizaya and Zapenstap

It was Friday morning, the fifth day of a hellish week, and Trowa was hard at work. He was reviewing the timetables of various communications taking place within and around the Preventor Headquarters when a voice through the intercom on his wall called his name.

"Barton, you're wanted immediately in Commander Une's office."

Surprised, he looked up, wondering what it could be about. He wasn't expecting a meeting this morning. In fact, he had specifically asked to be left alone so he could use his time to uncover the identity of Douglas Richmond's secret contact. The man was a known mole among the Preventors, and working for Cole, but Trowa was certain now that he was also working for someone else, and he was very close to discovering whom.

"I'll be right there," he said aloud.

He looked down at the papers on his desk, lines upon lines of dates, times, phone numbers… the sort of thing that would put most people to sleep. Trowa's methodical hand had been through them all, and he had certain lines highlighted. Most of the information was useless to him, but somewhere in this stack of otherwise shreddable junk was the key to Richmond's mysterious correspondent, and he was _going_ to find it.

But it would have to wait. He stood and reached for the Preventor's jacket hanging off the back of his chair so as to look presentable in Une's office. Since Heero had walked in on the ex-gundam pilots discussing his mission status with Relena, everyone had taken to looking as professional as they possibly could, and besides, Trowa always tried to be an example for the young cadets that took their cues from him.

As he prepared to close the folder he had been working through and lock it up in the drawer for later, a pattern in the lines he had been highlighting caught his attention. Something about standing up and looking at it from a distance caused the information he had spent the last hour poring over with a magnifying glass to leap up like answers out of a word search.

Could it be?

He flipped backward through a few pages, scanning the highlighted lines for a number at a certain time and location he remembered was there. It didn't take him long to find it. His eye knew it before his brain did, and it took a moment of mental processing before he connected the information in front of his face to the information in his brain…information associated to a particular name and face, and one he knew. Personally.

In a moment, he had his coat around his shoulders and the folder tucked under his arm. The ever-stoic, slow to movement, never-hysterical Trowa Barton literally ran to Une's office.

He was admitted before he knocked on the door, and entered to find the office a little crowded. Une was present, along with Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Merquise, Duo Maxwell, Wufei Chang, and of course, Heero Yuy. Strangely, Duo Maxwell and Sally Po were there as well, though they had been scheduled to leave late the night before for America to get everything in order to secure the containers. If Une had delayed their departure, she must have received new intel, and it obviously wasn't good news.

"Excellent," Commander Une said, her tone revealing that indeed things were not excellent. "Everyone is here. Let's get started then. You are probably all curious as to why this meeting was called."

"Commander," Trowa interjected, and attempted without much success to disguise the urgency he felt, "I just discovered some intelligence that you should be interested in hearing. It concerns what we discussed earlier. I should probably discuss it with you alone." He ignored the offended look Duo gave him for being left out.

"Thank you, Barton," Une replied. "I am sure it is important. But there is someone very busy waiting to relay some pertinent news to us in person." She looked around at them all. "I wanted you all here to hear it directly because it concerns all of you. I am relieved you could all come at such short notice. Noin, would you please lock the door?"

Although Trowa was restless over his own discovery, the disciplined side of his inner soldier quieted at this information. Une turned around in her chair to face a vid screen hung on the wall behind her, with a remote in her hand. Trowa's curiosity increased. He wondered who this mysterious, but seemingly busy, contact could be. Whoever this informant was, he had to be very far away, or else relaying information through visual communications would be too risky.

He didn't have to wonder long. Once the doors to the office were locked and the blinds on the windows pulled shut, Lady Une switched on the screen.

"Hello. It's good to see all of you again."

It was Quatre.

He was dressed in a navy blue business suit, looking like the young and dapper businessman he had turned into since his father's death and the end of the war. His face was still gentle and youthful-looking, but he had grown a foot in recent years, and there was an intellectual maturity in his eyes that was as sharply intuitive as ever. Trowa realized that he hadn't spoken to his friend in far too long.

"Hey, Quatre," Duo said. "It's been a while. Got something for us?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I do. Noin contacted me recently to let me know what you all are up to, and I discovered something you'll probably want to know. It concerns your current mission profile. It's urgent, and I'm afraid it's not good news."

Trowa felt goose bumps crawl up his arms as Quatre continued. It took a lot of mental effort to force himself to listen to every word without chiming in prematurely.

"Noin asked me to trace any leads I found on William Cole to see if he has potentially threatening contacts in space," Quatre explained. "Things have been busy here, as I'm sure you all know, but I did find something of particular interest. It seems that in addition to Miss Relena, William Cole is interested in acquiring gundanium alloy."

"What?" Wufei demanded. "From where? For what reason?"

Quate held up a hand to quell the dissenting murmurs. "As you know, it's not easy to make gundanium alloy. The refining process is very expensive and there are only a few factories in space with the resources, equipment, and financial backing to accomplish it. During the war, the Barton Foundation owned one of them. Oz, or more specifically the Romafeller Foundation, owned another. My father had partial access to a third, which is how I obtained these records in the first place. With the Abolition of Military Weapons Act, the government redirected the production effort of all of these factories. Through Relena Darilan's work as a peace ambassador, what remains is dedicated to producing other things now—equipment for space exploration, terra formation, resource satellite construction and the like."

"Only they weren't all shut down," Noin guessed, and Quatre nodded. "Figures. So which factory is still operational? What is it making and who owns it?"

"Well," said Quatre, "the one that should concern us is a factory called Aero Operations, or Aero Op. My sources have confirmed that this factory is definitely still capable of producing gundanium alloy. For various legal reasons, the government can't just swoop in to shut it down. Whether or not the factory is currently producing anything military is unknown; it merely has the potential to do so. There is discussion ensuing over whether or not the material is military by its very nature or whether there is any historical value to the site. After all, records show that parts of all of our mobile suits were actually made there."

Quatre paused. "Miss Relena would probably be a better source to consult over the political details. What is more important is that my informants have uncovered that this particular factory has a secret financial backer. Public record shows that Aero Op is operated by local Colonial government, but in point of fact, the deed to the site is held by William Cole."

Duo sucked air in through his teeth. "So…?" he prompted.

"It gets worse," Quatre said. "William Cole published his rights to Aero Op recently, though for what purpose I have no idea. When he purchased it in the first place is unclear, but _whom_ he purchased it from is not. He got it from the Romafeller Foundation. Specifically, from the Catalonia family."

"Damn it!" Zechs swore. "I suspected something like this." The legs of his chair screeched against the ground as he pushed himself violently way from the edge of Une's table. There was a flurry of movement as everyone began muttering at once. Only Trowa and Heero remained silent. To Trowa, this news was not surprising. It filled in the missing piece from what he had just uncovered. Heero's reticence was more of the focused sort. He stood with his back to the wall, his arms crossed, and his eyes drilling holes into the vid screen where Quatre looked down at them all apologetically.

"Are you saying that Dorothy Catalonia has had past business dealings with William Cole?" Wufei demanded. "That's highly compromising!"

"I'm saying it's a possibility," Quatre said, and from the expression on his face, it was not a possibility he wanted to admit. "I have occasional dealings with Miss Catalonia myself." He blushed under all of their surprised stares and added hurriedly, "All perfectly legal and impersonal. Business, you know. She knows a lot of people, some of them bad, some of them good, but she never struck me as bad herself. I hope I'm not wrong, and that this information is nothing to worry about, but if it is…" He trailed off.

"Don't let your wish for other people's goodness get in the way, Quatre," Trowa interrupted. "Let's assume it _is_ something to worry about. My intelligence will shed some light on the matter."

All eyes turned to look at him, and Une's were especially sharp. "Continue, Trowa."

He cleared his throat. "A few minutes before you called this meeting, I discovered the identity of the person other than Cole who has been communicating with Douglas Richmond: it is Dorothy Catalonia."

There was a moment of shocked silence.

"She knows everything we've been doing," Noin murmured. "She knows about the set up. She has to know that there'll be a strike. Does she know the details?"

"No," Une said. "She shouldn't."

"But she knows too much if she's working with Cole," Sally Po said slowly. "What is she getting from the relationship? What is he? How much she tells him will depend on her objectives."

"Perhaps his intent has been her intent all along," Zechs snarled. "She's working with the enemy. Maybe she wants this whole thing to explode into public to discredit our organization."

"Wait a minute," said Duo. "That seems kind of extreme. Does she have reason to hold a grudge against us?"

"Well," Sally ventured. "Maybe she wants Cole to succeed because she wants Relena out of the way. If Relena was held captive by a crazed terrorist, or even killed..."

Trowa's mouth turned dry. His mind leapt even further ahead. The possibilities for a public manipulator with Dorothy's connections and finances were staggering. The situation was hot. Relena and Cole, half a continent under threat of nuclear fallout, and a military factory capable of producing gundanium alloy…Manipulated the right way, it could be used to trigger another war, or something equally cataclysmic, and be laid at Cole's feet! Was he the true villain? Or merely a scapegoat?

"We need to find her," Zechs said. "Now! I'll wring her neck myself."

"We need to know how much she knows, what she is planning, and how much she has told Cole," Une said with grim conviction. "Quatre, thank you for your help. I'm sure you have duties to attend to. Wufei, assemble a team. Find and arrest Miss Dorothy Catalonia on charges of espionage against the State. Bring her in for questioning. We'll keep her in custody, under surveillance, until we can get a handle on this thing."

Quatre waved to them all before canceling his connection and returning to his work so they could return to theirs. Wufei nodded curtly and dragged a startled and protesting Duo toward the door. "You're coming with me."

"I'll start prepping the teams," Noin said. "Sally? Will you help me?"

Sally nodded.

After the room's occupancy was lightened by five, Une turned to Heero. Only Trowa and Zechs still remained in the room with them. "In the meantime, how are we with Relena?"

Heero hadn't moved during all the excitement. He had remained leaning against the wall, listening to their discussion of impending mission tactics with a stoic expression. His eyes were hard as rocks, his thoughts perfectly impenetrable. "Everything is as well as can be expected," he replied. "When do you want me to prep her for the rendezvous?"

"Tomorrow night," Une replied. "Tell her what we want Cole to know. Cole needs to see that the choice Relena is making is between a secret marriage to some petty soldier—that's you, no offense—and a multimillionaire who can attend to all her needs and which will save the world in the process. Our psychology team has reasoned that that is most likely how he sees this exchange. He thinks he can do better than you and he expects Relena to see that. He needs to see that she is considering it. Remember, too, that tomorrow night is your last night together. That should also be convincing."

Heero glanced at Zechs for some reason, but the other man's jaw was locked and his whole expression was like granite. "Understood," Heero said. From this alone, it was hard to tell how he felt, and impossible to determine what he was going to do.

Trowa was concerned about Heero's dilemma, but he had other things to worry about. Dorothy needed to be brought in and questioned, the reconnaissance teams needed prepping for departure, which was already going to be delayed twenty-four hours, and they didn't have much time. Their seven days grace period was almost at an end. They needed to contain this situation to avoid unpredictable fallout and ensure that nothing went wrong with the strike. Any rogue factors could upset the balance, and the combination of intelligence and careful planning for contingencies would be what prevented that. With this new information regarding Dorothy's shifted alliance, Trowa knew he would be working with little to no sleep until this thing was through.

Even as he was thinking that it couldn't get much worse, there was a hasty knock on Une's door.

"Come in," Une said, and Sally Po burst back into the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your meeting, but you might want to turn on the news!"

Une switched the channel to the local news station, and after several minutes of shock, Trowa looked around the room. It was the first time he could ever remember seeing Heero looking stunned.

"I have things to attend to," Heero said quietly, and no one argued with him.

"You might have trouble getting out of the building," Trowa warned.

"I'll take Wufei's bike."

Well, of course, Trowa reasoned. People were less able to follow someone on a motorcycle, especially if they couldn't see through the helmet enough to know who was riding it, and Heero could ride it right out of the garage. Wufei was going to be pissed, but Trowa wasn't going to be the one to tell him that Heero stole his bike.

* * *

Relena was drafting proposals when Julie, her secretary, knocked frantically on her door. 

"Oh my, Miss Relena! The paper!"

"For heaven's sake, Julie," Relena replied in bewilderment. "Please come in."

Her secretary's face was flushed as she burst into the room and shut the door behind her.

"Have you seen it?" she asked.

"Seen what?"

Julie laid what looked like a tabloid on her table.

"I don't have time for rumors, Julie," Relena said, knowing her secretary to be something of a flighty, easily enchanted person when it came to mysteries and celebrity gossip.

"I know, I know, but it's all over the news too! Look at it."

Relena looked, and gasped in horror.

There it was. Her face, and Heero's, the pictures clearly taken at separate times but their bodies spliced together and enlarged on the front page of the city's most popular tabloid. The picture was surrounded by the outline of a heart, and the heading read 'A secret romance? A secret marriage? What other secrets is the world's representative for peace, Miss Relena Darilan, hiding?'

"I don't believe it," she exclaimed, and was conscious of the diamond ring on her finger glinting under her desk lamp as she lifted the tabloid to look more closely at the article. "When did this come out?"

"Today," Julie said. "I just got it on my morning break. They must have published it fast! I knew you wanted to keep it a secret, so I was surprised. But Miss Relena, it's worse than you know! The news is taking this seriously. Someone credible must have tipped them off and now the tabloid cover has made real headlines. There are reporters outside the building."

Dear God, Relena thought. This was not what she needed. This was not what the world needed! This was exactly what should not have happened, terrorist threat or no terrorist threat, and not only was it a lie, but she would have to lie more—to the entire world!—to keep up the pretense. After this was all over, would the public understand, or would they just feel deceived?

And what about Heero?

An icy chill gripped her heart and she rose from her desk to peer out her blinds at the street below. There _were_ reporters milling around down there. It seemed that every major news network or independently run magazine had sent a representative.

"Call for my driver, Julie," she said. "I need to get home immediately."

Several minutes later, Relena hurried out of her office building surrounded by a hastily gathered entourage complete with building security. Her personal assistants informed her that the local press had learned of Relena's "elopement" from an anonymous phone call and that a large crowd of the paparazzi was gathered around her house as well as her office building. Even Preventor Headquarters was besieged, and everyone stationed was hoping to catch an interview with the new "Mrs. Yuy" or her new "husband" returning home.

"Tell them I'm keeping my name," she said frantically. It would be best to keep any information she could about Heero out of the papers as much as possible, and lie as little as possible. In a year, those sorts of details could count. "Tell them that I cannot afford an interview at this time, but that I will be happy to hold a press conference on the subject this coming Monday."

Monday was a long time to wait, but she couldn't do it any sooner. She didn't even know if she would be able to do it Monday. If the mission went wrong, she might be dead, or married to a terrorist, or too busy dealing with the aftermath of nuclear fallout to bother answering questions about her love life. Weighing the alternatives, she wasn't sure which would be preferable!

Reporters swarmed around her as she raced down the steps to the limo waiting on the curve. She ducked through the door her driver held open without engaging any of the questions hurtled at her from all directions, and managed to keep her expression composed the whole way home. This sort of thing was not really that unusual for her. She had experienced it growing up with her father her whole life, most especially on the day he died, and routinely after becoming a government official. It had been a personal burden before this, but having experienced it in the past didn't stop her heart from racing now.

But Heero. What about Heero?

When her driver pulled up to the curb in front of her house, Relena swallowed hard. Heero was home. She didn't know how he had managed to escape Preventor Headquarters, but he was home. He stood in the doorway wearing his Preventor's jacket and holding a motorcycle helmet in one hand. He was oblivious to the cameramen taking pictures of him. His attention was focused on her, watching as Relena's driver let her out of the back of the limo and accompanied her to the doorway amidst the cries of some very tactless questions and the flashes of a dozen cameras.

On the doorstep, Relena felt Heero's hand brush protectively behind her back. She flinched unconsciously. It wasn't good to look so intimate on camera. People would just talk more. She glanced up at Heero's face and bit back a warning as Heero turned her toward the house and flung one of his classic heart-stopping glares at the crowd before ushering them both in and slamming the door shut behind them.

"Heero, you shouldn't look at them like that," she whispered distractedly. They were alone at last, or as alone as they could be with the cameras recording their every move and reporters hollering outside their door. She was somewhat relieved, though. They were inside, and she had been through this kind of thing before, weathered it before. She could get through this too. And then she got a good look at Heero's face. "I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I don't know how this happened."

Grunting, Heero walked into the kitchen and pulled the bottle of last night's wine from the refrigerator. "It's not your fault so don't apologize." He poured himself a glass of white wine and replaced the cork in the bottle without asking her if she wanted any. "I just didn't want to deal with this," he said.

Relena looked at the ground and tried to think of something to say. "You knew it had to come out eventually," she said. "This is what I am. I'm a public person. Everything about me is public property."

"I know," he said, and took a swig of wine from the glass. "I'm going upstairs. I've had a long day. We'll talk later."

Relena stood alone in the doorway, feeling bereft of something she could not explain even to herself. Was Heero angry with her, or did he just need time to adjust to something that must be painfully difficult for him? She tried to imagine what it must have been like for him while he waited at home for her, always coming to the door to see if she was home and being showered with a barrage of questions from strangers who had gathered personal information about him from who knew where instead. With shaking hands, she removed herself to the living room and turned on the television to see what the news was saying.

It was her worst nightmare. There Heero was, on every channel that could possibly air the footage, and he looked completely out of place. The reporters showed him arriving on a motorcycle wearing a Preventor's jacket and carrying a gun. Then they showed him standing in the doorway of what they believed to be his own house looking like a deer caught in the headlights…or maybe a wolf caught under a searchlight. They asked him question after question, some very personal, some downright rude, and he refused to respond. But he also refused to go in the house, which made it look as if he was purposely tuning them out in order to affront their sensibilities. There was an awkward lull in the reporting when, at one point, he fixed one of his deadly gazes on the camera and seemed to scare the cameraman into filming the crowd instead. "Oh, well he's not too friendly, is he?" someone in the crowd muttered, followed by, "Let's show that footage again." Relena quailed as she watched, and couldn't after ten minutes or so. It was truly a public relations nightmare.

When Relena went upstairs later to try to talk to Heero and see how he was doing, she found the door locked. She pulled back, startled, and backed away.

Were they fighting? Were she and Heero actually fighting over this?

Her imaginary happy home was in shambles. Not because of some manipulation for the camera or some fake set-up gone awry, but because of a real life issue that really _would_ be a problem if she and Heero were ever actually together.

Even if Heero secretly loved her, he didn't want this life, and this was the life he would have to look forward to if he confessed his feelings and chose to stay with her. How could she have overlooked something so obvious?

There was no way he would want her now. Tomorrow was their last night together, and she had been hoping that he might break and tell her that it was all gloriously real before then so that she could be sure of his feelings when it wasn't so urgent to prove them to someone else, but now she wasn't sure that would be the best thing for either of them, and unless it aided the mission, she knew she wouldn't get it regardless.

As Relena made her way back down the stairs, she started to cry. The tears just came and she could not hold them back. It didn't occur to her to even think about anyone that might be watching. The press was kept out by the blinds and that was enough. All she could do was make sure that she cried softly enough that Heero didn't hear.

* * *

An hour after the meeting with Une, Wufei and Duo joined with a hastily prepped team on the other side of town. This wasn't where he expected he would be today, but when Une had called him just before he was set to leave last night and ordered him and Sally to cancel their flight and come in to her office the following morning, he knew plans were going to be changed. If they caught Dorothy now and got the right information from her, he and Sally and her team might be able to leave this afternoon. If not, the reconnaissance mission might turn into one hell of a wild ride. 

"Nice digs," Duo muttered after he and Wufei directed twenty-some Preventors into securing the perimeter around the five star hotel where Dorothy Catalonia was staying. They had the complete cooperation of hotel management and were preparing to personally lead a team of five up to the penthouse and break down Miss Catalonia's door if she didn't come quietly.

"Try to act professionally," Wufei said with that digging sarcastic lilt that seemed half an insult and half a compliment. "I didn't bring you along for a laugh. We need to do this quickly." He directed the men behind them to load their assault rifles

"In and out," Duo grinned. "Just my style. Do you think she'll cause a problem?"

"She's just a woman," Wufei replied, and smirked.

"I don't know about that," Duo said wistfully, suddenly homesick for Hilde. "I've known some pretty feisty women."

Wufei harrumphed and said nothing more.

When it was time for stealth, Duo gripped the 45 caliber semi-automatic weapon he hoped he wouldn't need and followed Wufei up the back stairs to the top level of the penthouse. Their five backup recruits followed them, and since Duo was not often involved in this sort of fieldwork these days, he could only hope that Noin had trained them well and Wufei had chosen wisely.

The door to Dorothy's rooms was locked as they had expected, but the hotel management had assured them that she had not been seen leaving the hotel at any time during the morning, and that when she did have to go somewhere, she always requested a driver.

Standing on either side of the door, Duo and Wufei shared a confirming look.

"Dorothy Catalonia?" Wufei called. "It's Wufei Chang. You're under arrest by order of State Defense. Please open the door. You won't be harmed if you come peacefully. We just need to take you down to Headquarters for questioning."

There was no answer.

Duo felt sweat beginning to form on the back of his neck. This was supposed to be easy. They had caught on to Dorothy early. The hard part would be getting her to cooperate in bringing down Cole.

"Miss Catalonia," Wufei called again, this time coldly determined, "if you do not open this door, we will be forced to break it down. Open the door now. This is your final warning."

When there was no answer, Wufei spared only a moment to confirm with Duo and the rest of the team before doing precisely what he said he would do. The frame splintered as his heavy, steel-toed boot slammed against the wood, and the door gave after only two well aimed kicks.

Following protocol, they stood back in the event of enemy fire, but when nothing but silence followed, the five armed men under Duo and Wufei's command filed into the room with weapons ready. As commanders of the operation, Wufei and Duo entered last, and so they were the last to see that the room was undeniably empty. There were signs of a hasty packing and departure, but Duo didn't need to wait for the men in their team to thoroughly check all of the rooms to know that the occupant had fled.

"Get Une on the phone," Wufei commanded. "Quickly." Duo jumped to comply, even though he wasn't Wufei's subordinate.

When they had Une's ear and relayed the information, they were surprised to learn that she was not more startled.

"Apparently Dorothy prepared for this," Une said, her voice coming smoothly through the ear pieces Wufei and Duo had individually attached to their ears and adjusted to the same frequency channel. "She must have known we wouldn't trust her and that we would be investigating her activities closely."

"But how did she know we were coming now?" Duo muttered.

"She had help," Wufei said grimly.

"It would seem so," Une agreed, "and from someone other than Douglas Richmond. He didn't know about this."

"Does that mean that there is _another_ mole among the Preventors?" Duo demanded.

"It's a possibility," Une said. "It might mean any number of things. The only thing we know for sure is that Dorothy has fled and there is no telling where she is now. What's worse is that I have no resources available with which to track her down. I'm going to need every hand I can muster to deal with the public."

"The public?" Duo said in horror. "What does the public have to do with this?"

"Have you seen the news?" Une asked.

"No," Wufei said. "What's happened now?"

"Your basic nightmare. We're moving things up. I'm afraid we're all going to be working around the clock tonight, so you'd better come back to Headquarters. You're not going to like this, but it's our best shot at securing the safety of the world."

Duo listened to the debrief resolutely. That wild ride was becoming more and more of a certainty, and a dangerous one at that. He would have to remember to keep it out of his voice when he called Hilde later this evening, and maybe send her a letter in case something unexpected should happen.

* * *

The phone woke Relena from a fitful dream. 

She had fallen asleep on the couch, still dressed for work, not even removing her heeled shoes before burying her face in a pillow and trying to smother her need for tears. She wasn't sure how long she slept, but it felt like hours. Her body felt heavy and a thin sheen of sweat plastered most of her clothes to her skin.

It was quiet outside. Perhaps the reporters had given up and gone home.

The phone rang again, but stopped mid-ring. Heero must have answered it, which meant he was still here somewhere, probably barricaded in Relena's room—their room—upstairs.

Relena forced herself to sit up and took off her coat so that her body could breathe. She ached from head to toe. The house was too quiet, and silence seemed to pervade every inch of her inside and out. The salt from her tears made the skin on her face feel cracked and dry, but she didn't want to scrub them off with her sleeve, and she couldn't get to her sink.

"Relena?"

She turned.

Heero stood at the top of the stairs, leaning his forearms on the railing and looking down at her with one of those expressions she couldn't read. His voice was gentle, though, lacking the chill she had heard from him after becoming the center of a celebrity scandal.

"It's Une," he said.

Relena rose slowly to her feet as he came down the stairs to meet her. Standing face to face, he took her hand in his and looked steadily into her eyes. To her surprise, he lifted a finger to her cheek. "Have you been crying?"

She couldn't answer. If she tried, she might start crying again, so she said nothing.

She was surprised when he leaned in to kiss her. His lips were softer than silk. This close, he smelled like the leather from his jacket, and under that the faint scent of cologne dizzied her senses. Her lips accepted his kiss as the soothing gesture it was meant to be. It comforted her in a way she couldn't describe, and she was afraid of it, of how much she longed to be comforted.

"Heero," she said, pulling away slightly. "I'm sor…oof!"

The wind left her lungs and blood rushed to her head as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. She gasped, trying to draw breath with his arm crushing her lungs and blood running to her head. He carried her upstairs to the bedroom and pushed open the door with his foot. In silence, he deposited her on the bed and sat on the foot beside her.

"They've moved up the itinerary," he told her. "You're meeting with Cole tomorrow instead of Sunday night. I've asked to go with you, but this decision is yours. Our plane leaves in seven hours. Lieutenant Noin will meet us here and take us to the airfield by helicopter. We'll fly to America by private jet and land on the Cole estate itself. You will be escorted to your meeting with Cole by Zechs, Wufei, and a third guard, which is me unless you say otherwise. Cole will be allowed to try and persuade you to marry him. I'm sure he will be prepared to finalize it right then and there."

Relena couldn't speak.

"I love you," Heero told her. "I don't want to lose you, Relena. And I don't want to fight if this is to be our last night together."

"Then let's make up," she said.

Her hand closed over his wrist. She wanted to put all of this behind her; her fears, the public, Cole, everything. The mood was perfect. Heero was still so close that her senses swam with the sight and scent of him. It wouldn't take much for her barriers to come down. A kiss, a look, anything would do it. It could be their last night together, and she wanted to be as close as she could be.

"Relena," Heero continued, and his voice sounded like gravel, emotion tightly constrained behind layers of iron-hard control. "I'm trying to be the best husband I can be to you, but I can only do so much. I know you are considering this man's offer. After today, I wouldn't blame you."

And suddenly she realized that once again, this crazy display of affection was for the camera, not for her, and played to boost the confidence of some crazy old terrorist who wanted to marry the Queen of the World. God, she was dense.

"I am considering it," she said, and was surprised how cool she sounded, and how honest. It was an absolute joke, but an irrational part of her was mad at Heero for leading her on this way, and she would use it to the world's advantage since what she wanted didn't matter.

As she stared blankly at the wall, Heero leaned in close to her and grazed her jaw with his lips. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by a touch that was so simple, so unexpected, and yet so erotic for being both. Sitting there on the edge of her bed in her business suit, contemplating a tomorrow that could be the end of her happiness, she could hardly understand how she could so quickly lose every rational thought in her head. Her eyes closed and her head tilted back as Heero moved in to kiss her neck, and she felt his breath as well as his lips warm her skin.

"Heero…" she said uncertainly, and didn't know herself if it was a protest or encouragement.

Heero eased her body onto the bed and trapped her between his arms. His fully-dressed body over hers was more sensual than anything she could dream up, and the fact that he still continued to lavish her neck and face with tender, ardent kisses left her with nothing left to think about.

"Who do you want?" he whispered into her ear, loud and breathy enough to send a chill down her spine. "That lunatic Cole?" His tongue touched her earlobe and she lost all sense of direction. "Or me?"

Her eyes flew open. She really was dense! She knew the right answer, and her eyes blazed with indignation as she glared up at Heero's face from the pillow. It was his fault for doing this to her, confusing her with what she wanted versus what she needed to do. Everything about him was desirable, and it took a lot of concentrated effort to look him in the face and say the words that everyone _but him_ needed to hear. "I don't know," she said, and cursed the unfairness of world for the necessity of her reply.

For a moment there was silence. Relena felt herself shaking slightly with barely constrained desire. She could feel the weight of Heero's body over hers and dreaded its removal after such a rejection, even a staged one, but Heero merely pulled his head away from her face and stared at her with eyes she couldn't read.

Did he love her? Did he want her? In reality, she had no idea. Heero was simply too good at disguising his emotions. Tomorrow would be the last day of this charade, and after it was over—assuming she wasn't killed or married off to a psychopath in a botched mission—Heero would probably disappear, no matter what he actually felt, if that was anything at all. She had so many things to tell him, and yet she mustn't say a word.

He touched her hair, brushing his knuckles against her jaw as he flicked a lock away from her neck. To her surprise, his head descended to kiss the spot that he had touched, and as it did a wave of heat washed over her. She found herself clutching Heero's back as he lavished attention on her neck, her chin, and the skin showing just below her collar bone. She quickly felt too hot for her clothes, and her lips parted to release a trembling complaint.

At the sound, Heero physically turned her head with his hand, gently touching the lower half of her face with his fingertips and bearing down on her to tickle her ear with his breath.

"Just ask and I'll stop," he whispered, but despite the gentleness of his hands, it was a whisper that came out aggressive, low and husky like a growl. When she didn't protest, he moved his body over hers even more possessively, holding her in place even as he gave her a verbal choice, his knee wedged between her thighs and leaving not an inch of space between their bodies. Pressed against her as he was, it was clear what he wanted, and when she caught a glimpse of the steel in his eyes, she got the impression that he knew she wanted it too and that he meant to have it no matter what she might say.

She couldn't say anything. She was powerless to stop him. She didn't want it to stop.

"You're mine, Relena," he told her, and although she knew it was the proper thing that a husband would say to a wife he didn't want to lose, the tone of his voice dared her to challenge it.

His teeth bit at the buttons on her blouse and pulled them apart. With every inch of skin he exposed to the cool air, the more she felt like fire. It wasn't long before she was sitting up to help him remove his jacket and his shirt and brazenly touch his bare skin with her hands and lips wherever she could reach. He managed to strip away her clothes down to the chemise she wore beneath her blouse, and as her arms entwined around his neck and pulled the top half of his naked body close to her, even that went into the growing heap on the floor.

Urgency drove every impulse. It was her last night with Heero as husband and wife, and she was determined to make the most of it.

* * *

TBC 

Zapenstap: We updated!

Mizaya: Sorry for the delay!

Zapenstap: And thank you to the people who reviewed, emailed, left comments, etc. … from the last update until now. I always felt inspired by response, and that is motivating! So here we are.

Mizaya: Same here! We hope you like it!

Zapenstap: We'll update again soon!


	10. Mission Status: Ground Zero

**Words:** 9,415 (really? wow...)  
**Story Summary:** To buy time for the Preventers to organize a strike against a deranged terrorist, Relena must participate in a mission. For one week, in a house wired with cameras, Relena must pretend she is married... to Heero Yuy.  
**Chapter Summary:** The day that Relena must choose has arrived. The real mission begins!

**Notes:** I'm aware that it has been a LONG while. What can I say? My partner in writing was eaten alive by the Harry Potter fandom (my fault: I bought her the first four books). I waited for a while, very busy with other things, and then got absorbed into the Naruto fandom, for which I have been writing essays in my Zapenstap Livejournal (check it out). I also got a job--writing professionally (not fiction).

Mizaya has abdicated from this project unfortuately, though she is still my prime copyeditor/beta. I've been telling people that I will finish it, though, and I wasn't kidding. There are 3, maybe 4 chapters left, including this one. It is all outlined. And here I give you chapter 10. At long last. With 11 and 12 (and maybe 13) to follow.

Also, just because I have not updated does not mean I have not been paying attention. I read every review. I keep track of my readers and I adore them. I want you guys to know that you were notices, and thought of, and appreciated, even when it seemed like I had abandoned this story. Every time I got a review I would think about how I needed to update (and feel more than a little guilty!) I have favorite reviews and favorite reviewers, but every tidbit that comes my way is devoured like crazy cakes. Thank you very very much! Please review again if you would be so kind.

* * *

Final Mission Status

Chapter 10

By Zapenstap

Relena opened her eyes as sunlight streamed across her face. Her bedroom curtains hung slightly open and light trickled through the glass panes of her window—a narrow beam of gold that crept slowly up the tousled covers of the bed with the rising of the sun.

Relena inched her head away from the light and found Heero's shoulder with her nose. The smell of his skin washed over her, a sweet, somewhat musky smell that she breathed in deeply. She shifted toward him and felt the tangles in her hair, mussed from rough treatment between Heero's fingers and the sheets.

It was morning, the morning she must choose between Heero and Cole—theoretically. In reality, it was the last day of the mission; the last day she would spend as Heero's "wife."

She turned her head on the pillow. Heero lay with his face turned toward the ceiling. He looked restful, one hand lying still on his chest and the other stretched out between their bodies, fingers curled slightly in rest.

He had seemed so…amorous last night, but she supposed that was only natural. She couldn't trust what it meant, not with all the unexpected things that had happened. There were so many variables, and Heero's heart was the hardest of all to pin down. Her own heart felt fragile, like blown glass, or the shell of some papier-mâché globe.

"Heero," she whispered in his ear, and touched him gently on the shoulder.

She had to shake him awake. He opened his eyes groggily. They were heavy-lidded with sleep, and he shut them again immediately against the sun. He grimaced into the light that played across his face, and she could almost hear his muscles groan in protest as he turned his back to the window and toward her.

He opened his eyes.

"We have to get up," Heero whispered. His eyes were so blue. "I'm taking you to the airport."

"Which airport?" she asked.

"Military. Private jet."

She wanted to say more. She felt that there was so much more to say, but before she had time to process, he swung himself off the bed.

"Get dressed," he said. "I'll make coffee while you take a shower."

He did just that, leaving Relena alone to get ready for her "wedding" day. For a few minutes she didn't move. The bed that was hers and Heero's was too comfortable, and once she left it, it would never be the same again. She mourned the loss for a few minutes. Then she shoved back the covers and got up. The games were over. This was it.

After showering, she stood for a while in her walk-in closet with just a towel around her body, wet hair combed through, unable to decide what to wear. How should she look on the day she chose between Heero Yuy and a psychopathic terrorist as her lover and husband? Professional? Sweet? Sophisticated? Seductive?

She settled on a mix. She elected to dress in a pair of light summer dress pants, flat-soled shoes, and a white collared jacket with a stylish high cut. Underneath the jacket she wore a sleeveless silk shirt in a soft pale green that brought out the color in her eyes and clung to her skin when she moved.

Heero came in while she was doing her hair in front of the vanity. He offered her steaming black coffee on a saucer. She took it without speaking, still having no words to say and wishing to conserve her emotions as much as possible. He hovered close to the back of her chair, watching her pull the flat iron through her hair, but didn't touch her. As soon as she set down the flat iron and lifted the coffee cup to drink, he nodded and removed himself from her presence to use the shower.

From their brief time living together, Relena predicted that Heero would be showered and dressed before she had finished her hair.

She was right, but he surprised her in how he dressed for the day. Heero emerged from their shared closet in a pair of pants and a long-sleeved black shirt with no trim or collar. As Relena pinned her hair and watched through the mirror, Heero knelt on the carpet and pulled a chest out from under the bed. He opened it in the middle of the floor, revealing a weapons stash that Relena had had no idea was in her house. She stopped what she was doing and stared as Heero pulled a heavy charcoal gray vest from the chest and slung it around his shoulders—she assumed it was bullet-proof—and then packed a handgun, magnum clips, a box of bullets, and several other things she didn't glimpse long enough to recognize into various pockets and hidden nooks around his person. He adorned the Preventors leather jacket last, obscuring the rest of his gear.

When Relena finished straightening the last strand of golden brown hair, she put her arms through the sleeves of a white designer trench coat and cinched it around her waist with a silk tie.

She looked expectantly at Heero. He looked back. They were a mismatched pair.

"Ready?" Heero asked her.

She stared at him for almost a full minute without answering. What surprised her wasn't the feeling of alarm or discomfort, but a profound urge to coax him back to bed. He looked so… dangerous, and yet it was his control that allured her. She knew what he was like, had felt how gentle his touch could be, and also how rough, but always controlled, even when it was feverish. She shook herself, as if waking from a dream, and nodded her assent.

It was time to go.

Heero drove Relena to the airfield in a car that had been rented for the occasion. Once they were alone in the car and headed toward the airfield, Heero spoke to her. There were no cameras.

"Relena, about last night."

Her heart almost stopped.

"It wasn't my intention to take advantage of you," he said. He kept his eyes on the road. His tone was completely neutral.

"You didn't," she said hurriedly. "I… it was pleasant."

"Yes, but that's not my point. I may have gotten carried away. Yesterday was an emotional day for me."

She didn't know what to make of that. Emotional? She had felt it, even if he didn't show it or talk about it, but she didn't think she meant the time he spent with her. Looking at him, she could almost see it in his eyes. There were all those reporters, followed by Dorothy's betrayal, and then she had been crying, and with today being so important…

"What are you saying?" she asked.

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I don't want to hurt you. Our relationship is a professional one, and right now I'm focused on our objectives. Last night… it was the right thing to do given the circumstances. Une approved it. Still, I got a little caught up in the moment. You seemed willing, but it occurred to me this morning that maybe it wasn't fair."

Relena swallowed hard and whipped her head around to stare at the road ahead. She didn't say anything at first, not for several long moments. It took all of her will power to stifle tears. "That's fine," she said. Her voice came out cool, but she had to clench her jaw shut before more could escape. She watched the tires eat up the road, counting the divider lines that flashed beneath them on the highway.

They didn't speak again until they arrived at the deserted landing strip where a plane awaited them on a runway devoid of all other aircraft. They parked the car and walked to the landing stairs. Relena walked a few feet in front of Heero, gathering her composure and wrapping it around her like a shawl. From this moment forward she would have to keep her wits about her and focus on what was important. Just like all of her business. It was personal—all of it—but she couldn't afford to make it personal to her. Fortunately, she had experience compartmentalizing her emotions where work was concerned. By the time they reached the plane, she was in her diplomatic mode: polite, but professional.

Relena boarded the private jet with Heero coming up behind her. They were met by Zechs and Wufei Chang.

There was no one else.

"Who's flying the plane?" Relena asked as she ascended the landing stairs and ducked into the main cabin behind the cockpit.

"I am," Zechs replied. "Cole was very clear about this exchange. You are allowed three bodyguards—to protect you from the "masses," as he put it—and no one else. We will have communication with headquarters until landing, but as soon as we join Cole's people we'll be on our own."

Relena sat down in one of the seats in the passengers' cabin. She was starting to feel the immediate danger in all of this, and how awful it could be if anything went wrong. Against that, it was almost easy to push aside what Heero had said in the car.

Zechs disappeared into the cockpit. Heero sat beside her. Wufei Chang glared at Heero from across the narrow walkway, arms crossed and hair slicked back to keep it in place throughout the duration of the mission. Relena wondered in a moment of flushed self-consciousness if Wufei had witnessed any of her and Heero's lovemaking.

"Where's my bike?" Wufei demanded angrily.

Heero glared back at him, almost devoid of expression. "I took it back this morning."

Wufei's scowl subsided only slightly.

Relena blinked. "This morning? When?"

"Before you woke up."

She hadn't noticed at all. He hadn't awoken her.

"But…"

"I had to be seen leaving the house," Heero told her. "So did you."

"Didn't you notice that all the reporters were gone?" Wufei said.

She hadn't noticed. The ordinary never seemed out of place. "So…?"

"We have a decoy in place pretending to be you," Wufei told her. "And another pretending to be Heero at a separate location. Your secretary is aware of the switch, and obviously your appointments have been canceled. We cited the paparazzi as the reason. As far as the world is concerned, you are holed up in your office today. You should see your building. There's quite a crowd. It was difficult getting a look alike in position and getting Heero out."

"I must have gone to work early this morning," Relena said vaguely.

"Five a.m.," Heero told her.

She did a quick calculation. She and Heero hadn't really gone to sleep until one or two in the morning. That gave Heero less than three hours of sleep. She had had many days like that, but still. No wonder he'd had such difficulty waking.

"We need to get going," Zechs's voice alerted them through the intercom. "Strap yourself in. It's not a short flight, but thanks to the change in time zones, there should still be some daylight by the time we reach Nevada. Heero, Wufei, you'll need to brief Relena before we land."

The plane's engines revved and whined into life. The rumbling under Relena's seat synced with the unpleasant sensation in her stomach. She had been dreading this moment since first being summoned to Preventor headquarters and learning that some psychopath she had met once wanted to force her into marrying him…in exchange for not saturating the North American continent with dangerous nuclear radiation, of course. She had maneuvered through a lot of negotiations throughout her career; some of them had been dicey with tempers poised to provoke violence, but usually a rational thought and calm voice was enough to encourage talk and compromise. However, madmen were not rational, and judging from what she knew of Cole, she did not think remaining calm would keep him from doing something crazy.

"I suggest you eat something and rest as much as possible," Heero told Relena.

Relena nodded absently. She could eat. She may not taste anything, but she would force herself to down at least a few bites. It would be a long flight after all.

Heero sat unmoving in his seat beside her as the plane gathered speed down the runway. Relena looked out the window, watching the scenery whirl past and then drop below as they lifted noiselessly into the air. Gradually, after several minutes of steady climbing, the plane leveled and the roar of the jets muted to a gentle hum.

"What is the plan?" Relena asked. "My brother asked you both to brief me. I would like to know what to expect."

"We're going to land in the Yucca territory," Heero told her. "Cole has been instructed to provide us with a vehicle, which we will use to reach Cole's compound in the mountains. His estates overlook the site where the nuclear waste is being held. Although we would prefer not to be so close to Duo, it can't be helped. Cole built his home there on purpose, and wouldn't agree to a neutral location. We're relying on Duo's stealth."

"A man who builds his dream house on top of a pile of nuclear waste to 'guard it' is a special guy," Wufei interjected wryly. "Tells you a little about the state of his sanity right there, doesn't it?"

"We're fortunate he allowed us to bring armed guards to protect you," Heero continued to Relena, ignoring Wufei's remarks. "He will meet us at the gates, and from there you are supposed to make your decision."

Relena felt a most peculiar feeling in her stomach as Heero spoke about her "decision" between him and Cole.

"He will probably try persuading you," Heero added. "He'll emphasize his power and anything else he thinks will get your attention. We'll accept any offer he makes to try to impress you. Within reason, of course."

"What am I supposed to say when he asks me to decide?" Relena asked.

"You will choose him," Heero replied.

Relena's mouth went dry.

"The longer you stall and agonize over it, the more time Duo and Sally's and Noin's teams will have to secure the area," Wufei added. "We will need that time, but you can't hesitate too long without making it look suspicious. If necessary, we will put you in a white dress and go through with the preparations for a ceremony."

"I am not marrying Cole!" Relena gasped. "How am I going to get out of there?"

"We'll expect him to have at least two armed guards with him as well," Wufei told her. "We'll buy as much time as possible for Duo and Sally to secure the nukes. Noin's team will close in around the perimeter and wait for a signal from Duo."

"A flare bomb," Heero informed her. "It should already be set up."

"Won't Duo be in direct communication with Noin?" Relena asked.

"No. Duo's team will have internal communication, but no far-reaching signals that can be picked up by the enemy. The flare is a bomb that can be detonated through a remote access trigger on Duo's person. There are two, one to indicate completion of the job, and another to let Noin know that something has gone wrong."

"Once Duo has completed his mission, Noin's team will take command of the compound and Cole's estate," Wufei continued. "We won't be in communication with them directly either. If all goes well, Noin will close in, take over the compound, and apprehend Cole and his men before they know anything is amiss. Whatever else happens, Zechs, Heero, and I will ensure your safety and get you out of there if we need to. Your job is to entertain Cole as long as possible and follow any orders we give you."

"I understand." Relena couldn't think of anything else to say. When Heero unbuckled himself from his seat and brought Relena a bagel and a glass of orange juice from the refrigerator, she accepted them and ate without resistance. He watched her consume every bite. It didn't escape her that he didn't eat anything himself.

Hours later (she slept fitfully through part of it), the plane landed on a deserted military airfield in Nevada. There was nothing to see for miles around except desert terrain, shrub grass, cactus plants, and mountains. When Relena emerged from the plane, a dry, hot wind blew her hair in her face and jostled her clothes.

An abandoned car awaited them on the field with keys in the ignition. It was a black luxury sedan with a leather interior. Wufei drove. Zechs sat up front. Heero sat with Relena in the back with his arms crossed. The trip was mostly silent, but the quiet was not relaxing, and Relena found it difficult to enjoy even the red-gold beauty of the desert scenery.

Cole's estates were expansive. Apparently he had managed to buy up all of the land in Nevada that once belonged to the US Government. From the moment they passed into his territory, Relena felt the change. No one lived here. It used to be a nuclear testing site and there was still an eeriness clinging to the dry rock. She couldn't help counting the miles of empty desert road they had to travel just to get to Cole's living residence. If for some reason they needed to escape this place, they would not be able to do so by running. They saw few other vehicles on the road, and what houses they passed earlier on were singular in nature, some abandoned, and the rest probably owned by men under Cole's command. Everything else was just red-rock desert.

Eventually they turned off the highway and followed a narrower road up into the mountains. It was a strange location for a residence, and Relena began to feel a bit like a lamb being led to the edge of a cliff, at least until the tires of the car found paved concrete and they made the final climb to the summit. Then she felt more like a lamb led to an altar to be sacrificed.

"Is that his place?" Zechs asked.

"Looks like it," Wufei muttered.

Cole's estate was a resort nestled against the mountain like an eagle's nest. He had gone to great expense to terra-form the surface of the summit to suit his structural needs. Aesthetic additions had also been made. Desert palm trees had been imported to a yard that also sported a green lawn, a private golf course, and a manmade pond filed with decorative garden fish. Other than the mansion, there were no other manmade structures for miles.

The view of the desert was breath-taking. It spread out in all directions in never-ending plains of rock, shrubs, and hollow basins and cliffs that carved up the earth. Red mountains broke up the blue sky on all sides and seemed to incubate in the heat of the sun. If not for the knowledge that this complex had been built on top of stores of nuclear waste as the home of a crazed terrorist, Relena may have found it peaceful, even inspirational, though not a place she would choose to live.

The car pulled up to black iron gates that circled the compound and blocked their entrance from the road. Two mercenaries were stationed at either side of the entrance, each holding an automatic weapon in two hands.

"I wonder if that's supposed to make us feel better about Relena's safety," Wufei muttered. Zechs coughed. Heero didn't say anything.

The guards seemed to be expecting them. Wufei stopped the car and lowered the window to speak with them. One of the guards glanced in the backseat. He seemed to recognize Relena. She kept very still, hoping her expression was unreadable, and returned his gaze coolly.

The guard waved them ahead and the gates opened to admit them. They rolled through slowly, following the paved path to a driveway where six or seven cars—all expensive European models—were parked in an otherwise vacant lot. Wufei parked the car on one side of the driveway and turned around to look at Heero and Relena.

"Are you ready, Princess?"

Relena nodded. Heero was checking his guns. She heard the click of metal and refused to look in his direction. She knew there might be violence, as much as she hoped against it. Cole was crazy, and even if they secured this place completely, he still may not just surrender. She did not want to see Heero kill anybody, but she had to assume that he might have to. Her hands felt cold.

"We're cut off from everyone now, aren't we?" Relena whispered. "No intercoms? How do we know when…?"

Heero shushed her with a gesture. "Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

Looking into his eyes, noting the seriousness in his voice, she wanted to tell him what she really thought, but the words would not come. There was no time anyway. This was not the place for emotional display, and she didn't want to break Heero's concentration. Their relationship was professional. She had to concentrate on her part in all of this.

"I'm ready," she said.

"Then let's go meet your future husband," Wufei said.

They got out of the car.

* * *

William Cole was informed of Relena's arrival the minute her private jet touched down at the airbase. Keeping with the agreement he had made with the Preventors' leader, he had sent a car to the location with keys in the ignition, but no personnel. The deal he had struck with that Une woman was that he would give his future bride her privacy until she arrived at his residence. She would be allowed three armed guards to protect her, and he would make sure he conducted himself in a gentlemanly fashion. Cole did not object to this, because he felt it made sense that a woman of Miss Relena's beauty and stature would be protected by armed personnel at all times. Once she became his wife, he would be sure to continue providing such service. After all, he didn't want anyone to hurt her either. 

When the car he had sent pulled up to his estate, Cole was in his study, smoking a cigar and calming himself with a glass of scotch. He was dressed very stylishly (he felt) and he had already checked his appearance in silver-gilt, full-length mirror half a dozen times. He still had a full head of hair, and although it was gray, he felt he maintained a youthful appearance. His body was also well toned. Since deciding he wanted to marry Miss Relena, he had worked out every morning. He wanted to make sure he could keep up with her. He had heard that young women these days were very amorous, and though he was a gentleman of the finest caliber, he had every intention of seeing that her needs were met.

Especially since _that_ man had touched her again last night. Cole had to admit that the fellow must be married to Relena. After careful thought he determined that a sweet flower such as she would never dirty herself before marriage…especially with a common soldier. It upset him that _that_ man had managed to convince her frail young heart that he was worthy of her affections. Clearly, he was beneath her, but young women had to be forgiven their poor judgment. After all, they were such delicate, flighty creatures; if they didn't have men to think for them, they would naturally get into all kinds of trouble.

Cole would rescue her from such a fate. He wanted to be a father figure to her…of a sort. He had heard that young women fancied men like that, especially young women who had lost their own fathers in a tragic fashion. He would be her protector and provider.

It was therefore with great pleasure that he welcomed her arrival. He watched from the window as a tall man with long blonde hair let Relena out of the back seat. The blonde man looked strangely familiar, but Cole couldn't remember where he had seen him before. The Chinese man, Cole ignored entirely. But when _that_ man emerged from the car, Cole found himself fingering the handle of his gun. He reasoned that if all else failed, it wouldn't take much to make Miss Relena a widow.

Cole's men met Relena and her escort outside and directed them indoors. Cole watched from his study while Relena's escort was asked to disarm one at a time and be searched for any communication devices they might use to betray him. It was also a method of making sure that no unauthorized weapons were brought into his house. After all, he had to be somewhat prudent. Once every man was searched, they were given back their weapons and welcomed inside. Now he would know what each man was carrying.

One of Cole's servants knocked politely on the door of the study. "Sir, they are ready for you now. What would you have us do?"

"Make sure the priest is ready," Cole said. "When she chooses me, I want to be prepared. I don't want to wait a moment. Is the honeymoon suite prepared for my bride?"

"Yes, sir."

He clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "I'll be right down."

* * *

Wufei wasn't sure what he had been expecting from Cole. He had been watching tapes of Relena and Heero on and off for days with a very detailed understanding of who this guy was and how he might interpret the same events. However, knowledge and experience were two different things. 

Put simply, Cole was a madman.

He waltzed into his study wearing a grin like a schoolboy. He wore loafers, a polo shirt, and golf pants. He seemed to be in shape for his age, but his hair was a shock of gray.

He entered his sitting room surrounded by two stiff-faced, armed guards, the sort that were hired out of bars and paid in cash to do just about anything. They carried their weapons like they knew how to use them, but it was the way a child wielded a hammer—recklessly, and with barely restrained glee. Wufei had no doubt that any one of them would shoot on command without hesitation…perhaps even before command.

He kept a wary eye on the guards as Cole waltzed through the door. Meanwhile, he was also looking out for Relena. She stood beside Heero, as was appropriate since she was supposed to be married to him. Heero put a hand on her shoulder when Cole entered the room. When Heero whispered something in her ear, Relena's eyes widened momentarily, then relaxed.

Wufei assumed that Heero had said something "husbandly" that had momentarily startled her. He had been doing a lot of that lately for the camera. Wufei suspected that Heero took his role as Relena's husband very seriously and assumed the guise moment to moment regardless of whether or not he was on camera, as actors sometimes did for movies. Wufei wondered if all that acting was messing at all with Heero's worldview.

After all, he hadn't turned Relena down the night before. Zechs had been livid when Wufei reported it, and only Une had been able to calm him down enough to keep him from barging into Relena's private home and throwing Heero out on the street. Everyone wanted to know what Heero was thinking. Une reported that when Heero rendezvoused with Zechs this morning after putting the doubles in place, he had told Zechs that they would discuss the matter later, but that he hadn't forgotten what Zechs had told him. Wufei didn't know what they were talking about, but he assumed it had something to do with Relena. Heero explained his actions by stating that the situation seemed "right" but wouldn't elaborate as to whether it was right for Relena or for the camera. Zechs had been grinding his teeth all morning.

Now, Relena and Heero behaved almost like strangers. Relena stood beside him, but there was a distance in her eyes, and although he touched her familiarly and spoke in her ear, they did not look like all was well between them.

Wufei supposed that was just as well, considering how important it was for Cole to feel encouraged. When the man walked in, Wufei was mildly impressed by the way Relena smiled when she saw him. Her whole face lit up like a lamp, and she stepped forward—out of Heero's reach—to greet him. She raised one of her slender hands for him to take and he kissed it as if they were attending some sort of old-fashioned party. Somehow, Relena managed not to show either fear or disgust. Heero kept his arms crossed and did not interrupt.

"My dear, it is lovely to see you again," William Cole gushed as Relena took back her hand. "I suppose you are all up to date on everything?"

"Certainly," Relena replied.

"I have been informed that you are already married," Cole said. He sounded a little like a pouting child.

Relena cleared her throat. "Yes," she said. "Newly, but I have come to hear what you have to say. When I heard of your proposal, I thought…. Well, I thought you must have something extraordinary to show me."

"Indeed!" William Cole laughed. He grabbed Relena's hand again and pulled it under his arm so that she was forced to walk in lock-step beside him. He patted her hand like an adoring grandfather. Relena glanced over her shoulder as he directed her toward the hallway.

Her expression radiated slight alarm, which meant that she certainly understood the danger of the situation and was playing along according to her role. Wufei had to give her a little credit as he, Heero, and Zechs followed Cole and Relena out of the parlor and into the hallway.

"I have a great deal to show you, my lady." Cole said happily. "I have prepared a tour. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all," Relena replied. "I would love to see the grounds."

"How wonderful. I am pleased that you are thinking ahead. Naturally, you would want to be acquainted with your new home. I have also prepared a chapel." He beamed at her like someone senile. Relena smiled a little uncertainly back at him. "I brought up a Catholic priest from the city to perform the ceremony," he continued. "Are you Catholic?"

"Um."

"If you're not, we can have you baptized. The priest would be willing, I am sure. I suppose you will want to have a look at the altar?"

"Well, I…yes," Relena said faintly.

"And the honeymoon suite?"

"Hmm," she replied.

Wufei followed behind the pair of them, listening to the conversation with barely concealed scorn. Zechs flanked Cole's other side, keeping an eye on his two guards.

Heero flanked Relena on her left, occasionally shooting Cole dangerous looks, which the old man didn't appear to notice. Wufei noticed Cole looking at Heero only once, smirking as if in triumph.

Cole gave them a grand tour of the premises. His estate boasted well over 100 rooms, he claimed, but of what they saw, most of them were empty of anything but useless furnishings and artwork of varying skill. There was a lot of dusty wicker furniture and more than a few French antiques. They walked up and down four flights of stairs until Relena said she was winded and had to beg for a moment's rest. Cole made much over her "feminine delicacy." Wufei wondered if Relena was really winded or if she merely pretended to be for the sake of buying a bit more time. Either way, it worked to their advantage. Duo and Sally should be disarming the detonators at this very moment.

Eventually they arrived at the chapel room. It was a ludicrous sight. Cole had turned a conservatory on the highest floor of his estate into a tiny church, complete with six rows of pews. In the front of the room was an ugly little stage with an even more hideous life-sized crucifix fixture secured to the wall behind an altar. The bronze figure of a crucified Jesus lacked pious intent. It was cheaply made, and seemed an obscene witness for a wedding.

Relena "oohed" and "ahhed" over it. She touched the back of the pews with a lingering hand and exclaimed over the beauty of the stained-glass windows (which actually were quite nice). She made a fuss over the red carpet aisle between the pews. She asked about the history of the chapel.

A skinny, balding little man stood in the corner, hunched over himself in a chair like a sack of potatoes. Wufei had to look twice before he realized the fellow was a priest, evident only by his white collar. His clothes were otherwise rumpled and stained, and he had a nervous look in his eye like a hunted rabbit. Wufei wondered where Cole had dug up this sorry excuse for a religious leader and what he had used to convince the man to preside over this mad ceremony.

"Well?" Cole asked Relena after he had answered her questions and she had made a slow, languishing lap around the room. "Are you ready, my love?"

He gestured to the priest.

Wufei thought Relena's smile may have slipped, but she recovered momentarily and tossed her hair back.

"Oh, not quite yet. I'd like to see the …um… honeymoon suite first. If that's all right."

"Of course!" Cole said with a tone that was almost like paternal indulgence. Relena flashed him her teeth and shrugged her shoulders in a gesture of feminine submission.

Wufei couldn't wait to see the honeymoon suite. He could only imagine.

* * *

Duo was sweating in his gear. 

He and his team of five all wore workman's uniforms in desert colors with matching brimmed hats to protect them from the sun and hide their faces. They all wore bulletproof vests under their jackets as well, and every man carried at least one gun in a holster. Every man or woman, rather. Sally was the only woman, but she carried the biggest guns slung over both shoulders: two automatic rifles, one for herself and one for Duo when the time for stealth was at an end and it came time to defend their positions or make an escape. Duo was hoping for the latter.

Sally walked beside Duo in the tunnel, her hair split into two braids, one behind each ear. Dirt smudged her face, but her eyes were bright and peering alertly into the darkness as they descended. Duo remembered when she was taller than he was, but he was the taller one now, not that it would make much of a difference if they were discovered.

Getting into the tunnels beneath Cole's mountain compound had been one of the trickiest maneuvers had had ever pulled. First he, Sally, and their team of four additional men— two stealth soldiers and two bomb specialists from the Preventors' EOD unit—had to make their way unobserved from the airfield across the desert using satellite imaging and stealth and relying heavily on their equipment to cloak them and detect hostile entities. Once they reached the mountains, it was all they could do to keep from being discovered.

The mountain was not unprotected. Cole had guards at every tunnel entrance, all armed with automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Some were professional mercenaries whom Cole probably paid extremely good money to stand watch over the place. Duo had counted at least a few dozen guards, higher than the numbers had been a day ago. It was more than enough to keep them on their toes, but not enough that they could hope to impersonate them without being discovered. These guys lived alone out here and they all knew each other. Duo's team couldn't afford to be seen.

Sally and Duo had crept around the perimeter twice before deciding on a plan. Sally discovered a smaller entrance that must have been used by excavators when the tunnel was originally dug. They studied the change of the guards and the communications between them carefully so as to know how much time they would have between shifts. At most, it was a couple of hours.

Around the time Relena was due to arrive at Cole's compound, Duo and Sally's team made their move. They rushed the guards at the excavation entrance, drugged them with chloroform, and relieved them of their communication devices and weapons. Duo ordered his two stealth soldiers to stay behind to guard their escape route and impersonate the men on the intercom if the need arose. So far the plan was succeeding, but now came the really tricky part.

Duo hadn't spent much of his life underground. The tunnels were dark, lit only by an occasional electric torch and their own lamps. Even in the desert, the walls sweated this far below the surface. The nuclear repository was least a thousand feet deep underground. They moved slowly and quietly through the tunnels, following the excavation tunnels and hoping that they didn't run into an unexpected patrol. Every sound echoed alarmingly, and they paused at intervals to check the blueprint schematic and get their bearings. The last thing Duo wanted was to get his team lost underground while Relena was in negations with a madman above their heads.

The deeper they went, the more suffocating the mountain began to feel. Duo imagined the thousands of feet of tuft rock and ash piled over his head. It took a psychological trick to keep him from wondering what would happen if that mountain collapsed on top of them. If Cole didn't get his way, he could easily blow these tunnels to bits, and the nuclear waste would spill out into the desert and soak the land—not to mention the water supply—in lethal radiation.

"Look," Sally whispered. "I think we're here."

They had emerged from the excavation tunnel to what appeared to be the main tunnel. It was a great deal wider, with rows of railroad track laid upon the ground. The tracks ended where they emerged. Just beyond the end of the tracks was an iron rail separating the current tunnel from a sudden drop into a black pit. Near the pit was some complicated-looking equipment Duo surmised was used to remotely lower the nuclear canisters into the cavity.

"There's also a stair," Sally said, noting Duo's gaze and raising her lamp to point out a rickety aluminum ladder that lowered along the wall into the blackness below.

"Great," Duo breathed. "I don't suppose anyone else wants to climb down first?"

"Don't look at me," Sally smirked. "You're the stealth expert."

Grumbling, Duo took the lead. It was Sally's job to manage the weapons and keep a lookout. It was his job to make sure his specialists could do theirs without encountering resistance. If there were any guards hiding in the pit, it would be Duo's responsibility to neutralize them. He shimmied down the ladder with the speed and quiet of a mouse.

Once in the pit, Duo raised his lamp and assessed the situation. As Une had predicted, there were seventeen canisters of spent nuclear waste in Cole possession. Each canister was roughly twenty feet wide and just as tall. They stretched into the darkness in a silent, deadly row. All of the canisters were packaged in man-made containers and sealed to prevent corrosion, but even just sitting there, they looked unstable. Unfortunately, they weren't just sitting there. Each was rigged with a detonation device seen clearly in the light of Duo's lamp.

"Wonderful," Duo said. How long would it take to dismantle seventeen bombs? If just one went off… No matter. They just had to get it done as quickly as possible.

He made a thorough search of the area, poking into every shadow someone might think to hide in. It was surprising where a man could hide if he knew what to look for, and Duo was adept at finding all of the spots. Fortunately, it seemed that no one had been assigned to stake out the pit. However, that meant that there would be frequent patrols into the area, especially today of all days. They didn't have much time.

He alerted his bomb specialists that it was safe to come down. They made their way down one at a time, each carrying a pack of equipment that they would use to dismantle the explosives from any outside trigger. Duo himself wasn't a bomb expert. Although he was familiar with the EOD unit, he wouldn't trust himself to do their job.

"How long do you think this will take?" he asked them.

"Until the last one is done," the senior of the two replied. "We'll keep working on them, one to the next, but we can't be hurried. That's how mistakes happen."

Duo nodded. "Start now and keep going. I'm going up top with Sally. We'll watch your backs and keep the enemy occupied if they show up. Once you guys get started, I'm guessing you can't exactly stop, so keep working, no matter what. The most important job right now is the one you're doing."

He left them below and climbed the ladder to stand beside Sally. She kept scanning the tunnel from side to side, her fingers fidgeting uncertainly near the handle of her gun.

"I suggest we hide," Duo said, "and keep a lookout for patrols. If anyone gets close to our guys, we'll be able to do more for longer from the shadows."

She smiled wryly at him. "I've already staked out a spot."

Sally handed Duo one of the automatic rifles. He took it with a grunt and allowed Sally to show him the position she had staked out for herself on one of the tunnel. Duo found a similar cranny on the other side, a nook protected by a slight bump jutting out from the wall on the side of the tunnel. They could see each other from their respective positions, and although Duo couldn't see directly down the tunnel on his side, he could see anyone that might approach Sally's position and vice versa.

They both pressed back against the shadows to wait, Sally standing and Duo hunkered low to stagger their levels. The silence was occasionally broken by the scrapes and mutters of the bomb specialists working in the pit. Duo could hear the men's conversations through the communication unit in his ear, but he didn't dare talk to them while they were doing their work. Every once in a while, feedback would come through the earpiece, alerting him that a container had been safely disarmed. He kept count with each success. One. Three. Five. Seventeen had never seemed like such a high number.

At nine, he heard voices coming down the tunnel.

"They're here early," Sally's voice whispered in Duo's earpiece. "Way too early. The shift isn't supposed to change for another half hour at least."

The sounds of the bomb specialists working below stopped as she spoke.

"Keep working," Duo reminded them just as quietly. "Whatever happens up here, you have your job. Don't stop for anything."

He kept his eyes peeled ahead, focusing on his job, hoping the discipline of the squad would hold.

"Eleven," he heard the bomb specialist whisper as yet another container was disarmed. Almost on top of him, the other specialist whispered, "Twelve."

"Here they come," Sally whispered.

Duo didn't want to kill anyone, but he supposed he might have to. He closed his eyes briefly and forced his leg muscles to push his back up against the wall. The automatic rifle swung on its strap as he adjusted the line of sight of the weapon to meet the oncoming target. He looked over at Sally. The enemy was getting too close. They would have to engage. She nodded.

"Get ready to fire," Sally whispered, as much to the benefit of the bomb experts as to Duo.

The shadowy figures pacing down the tunnel came within range. It was definitely a patrol, and they were definitely Cole's men, but the patrol wasn't small. There were a lot of them. Too many to hold off for long.

"Hey! I think someone's been down here."

The men in the tunnel began to run toward them, pistols drawn. Sally and Duo took aim. The color of Sally's hair caught the light of the lamps as she twisted her torso slightly to target the lead runners.

Gunfire erupted from both sides almost simultaneously. At the first sound of automatic weapons being fired, Cole's men ducked for cover, pressing against the sides of the tunnel walls and crouching behind anything that might lend some protection. Duo attempted to control his firepower so as to shoot only when he might hit a target. They only had so many rounds, but even so, they had to keep up an almost constant barrage just to make sure no one would brave an attempt to blitz past them. As soon as the ammunition ran out, Duo knew that he and Sally would be overwhelmed. As it was, just the two of them could hold the tunnel, for a while anyway.

At least, that was what he thought until his weapon jammed and his violent attempt to dislodge the bullet caused him to lose his footing. Skidding on the loose pebbles, he slid momentarily out into the open. He scrambled for purchase, crab-walking back to his safe position behind that bit of earth wall. He panted, still fumbling with the trigger on his gun, and was just about to think how fortunate he was when a stabbing pain tore through his left thigh. He dragged his leg in closer, wondering if a bullet had targeted him or if it had ricocheted off the walls. He grunted with the effort it took to flex the muscles in his leg enough to pull his knee closer to his body and tried to keep his focus on the target despite the overwhelming pain.

"Fifteen."

Duo's rifle was still jammed. Nothing he did seemed to free up the mechanism, and blood was soaking his pant leg. Sally was still shooting, but it wouldn't be long before their assailants became braver. Casting the rifle aside, he pulled the semi-automatic from its holster. His head was swimming from the pain in his leg as he struggled to get into a position where he could aim. Blood was staining the khaki pants a muddy red-brown, but he didn't have time to worry about that.

Duo breathed heavily, fingers clenched around the handle of the gun and finger poised on the trigger. He reached into the open and shot once. Twice. Again. Given his position, aim was almost secondary. He would be lucky to hit anyone, but it was more important to hold them off as long as possible. Two more canisters to go, and then he could alert Noin that the job was complete.

He had the trigger for the flare ready. It was all set up to go off remotely. And then her team would move in. They should have the perimeter surrounded by now, but once they were able to advance... His free hand fumbled in his shirt pocket.

Sally cried out. He heard her rifle clatter on the ground and saw it skid across the dirt between them out of the corner of his eye. Duo turned his head to look, gritting his teeth.

Sally had been compromised. Somewhere between the time he had been shot and the time it took him to switch from his automatic to the handgun, the enemy had moved in. A brute man with thick arms held Duo's partner by the hair, her arms locked behind her so that her body looked painfully strained in the darkness. She looked as mad as a badger, but not one in a position to bite.

Duo's thoughts scattered. He thought briefly about Hilde, and then about the weapon still in his hand.

"Put down the gun, Duo Maxwell," a female voice called contemptuously from the shadows. "Or we'll kill Sally Po."

Gritting his teeth, Duo took aim at Sally's captor, right between the eyes, and squeezed the trigger. Dead air. He had no bullets left.

He really was the unluckiest son of a bitch in the universe.

A face appeared to match the voice that had spoken. Dorothy Catalonia strolled into the light of the orange electric torches, decked out in a military uniform embroidered with the Romafeller insignia and her family crest. Her blonde hair gleamed like gold in the light of the lamps, and even in military gear she carried herself with a degree of grace and cunning that made Commander Une look safe. By the way she smiled at Duo, she must have been expecting them.

"I'll take it from here," Dorothy said. There was a wicked smirk on her face and a predatory sparkle in her eye. "I have a few questions for Mr. Maxwell and Miss Po."

"Seventeen."

Duo whipped out his best grin. "You got me, lady," he said as disarmingly. He raised his hands slowly, as impishly as he knew how, but not before he released the flare trigger. Miles away, a signal was lit, alerting Noin that the mission had been completed. He grinned all the harder. It was almost funny. "Go ahead and kill me."

* * *

Relena stared blankly at the honeymoon suite. It was like looking at the inside of a jewelry box, the sort her grandmother kept on doilies in her mother's old estate. The bed was a king-sized four-poster with a white canopy. There were more pillows than any one person would know what to do with. There were no fewer than four mirrors in the room, two on one wall, and on the vanity an assortment of gaudy broaches had been scattered like leaves, including a sapphire the size of an egg. 

There was one window in the room. It was on the wall opposite the hallway door and overlooked the golf course. Four vertical bars broke up the view of green grass and blue sky. The bars were made of gold. They were not just gold painted. Relena was pretty sure they were real, solid gold.

"Wow," she said. There was a moment of silence as she took it all in. "I don't know what to say."

"I designed it especially for you," Cole gushed, and once again took her hands in his. He had dry hands, wrinkled and calloused like those of her great uncle. She thought of her great uncle whenever she looked at Cole. Her great uncle had gone to prison for tax evasion.

Cole stroked Relena's fingers as he showed her around the room. They did a sort of promenade, like something in a country dance, while Cole explained to her all the exquisite properties of the ivory canisters, the mahogany furniture, the French lace, and the craftsmanship that went into the prison window.

Relena began to miss the stuffed hawk Duo had put in her study. She found herself saying things like, "That's marvelous," and, "How wonderful," while inwardly fighting an urge to detach herself physically from this creepy villain and make a run for the desert. She would rather live with the rattlesnakes.

When Cole seemed to run out of things to say, Relena fumbled for questions to ask. She felt sure that he was waiting for her to either ask questions or accept his proposal, but she couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't sound suspiciously false.

"Now, my dear," Cole said warmly when Relena didn't speak. He gestured for Relena to sit on the foot of the bed. She did so uncertainly, and only just managed to catch Heero's eye as she settled on the fluffy white down comforter. He was watching her intently, just steps away if anything should happen. She relaxed and concentrated on what Cole was saying. "I think we both know where this is going," Cole continued, still in that smooth, warm tone that made the hair rise on the back of her neck. "As you have seen, I have a lot in material assets to offer you. I'm sure you would agree that a life here would be most pleasant and painless. All your needs would be provided for. You wouldn't have to lift a finger for yourself. You would never have to bother again about the problems of the world."

"Certainly," Relena said. She tried to imagine a life more nightmarish and failed.

"Now, as for your former marriage," Cole continued. "Do you really want to be married to a common soldier?" He gestured vaguely in Heero's direction.

Relena's tongue felt thick in her mouth as she tried to form an answer that would match the feelings in her heart and still satisfy Cole's question. At all cost, she must not sound like she was playing him. "I want the best match possible," she replied. "Certainly the more worthy man would be preferable, someone who understands me and could protect me." Her face felt strangely warm.

"I'm so happy you think so too," Cole said. He seemed enamored of her blush. It was all she could do not to flinch when he caressed her cheek. "Now, if we understand each other—and I think we do"—Relena nodded encouragement—"then perhaps we can proceed with the legal matters. A divorce in front of witnesses, followed by a marriage in the chapel, and then we can send these fellows on their way."

Relena nodded again, but felt a little faint. Cole helped her off of the bed and guided her out of the room with a hand on her back. Cole's bodyguards ushered them out to the hallway and stood guard at the door. Zechs, Wufei, and Heero followed, trailing her like hounds, faces as hard and as impassive as stone.

When they were in the hallway, Cole's phone rang.

Zechs shot a glance at Wufei.

"Hello?" Cole said into the receiver. He was silent for a moment, and then the goofy expression on his face collapsed.

That was all the warning they had. It all happened too fast for Relena. By the time Cole reached for his gun, Heero's body slipped between them. He grabbed Relena about the forearm, hard enough that she sucked in her breath to keep from crying out, and wrenched her out of Cole's grip.

"Get down," Heero said. His body was between her and everything else, but around the view of Heero's back Relena saw Cole turn to Heero with his gun raised and a wild look in his eyes. Heero shoved Relena and she stumbled, tripping over her heels, falling backward into the honeymoon suite. She saw Heero's eyes just before she heard gunfire, and then the door slammed in her face, locking her in the bedroom.

There was a clamor of noise and general confusion, shouts of "double crossers!" and "betrayers!" from Cole, a guttural response from Zechs, and then more gunfire. Relena choked back a cry. She stayed low to the ground as instructed and dropped to look beneath the door.

She couldn't make out anything. Booted feet were filling the hall. There was a man lying stretched out on the tiles, blocking her view. She could only see the soles of his shoes.

More gunfire.

"Heero!" she cried, pounding the flat of her hand on the door. "Milliardo! What's happening?"

There was a deathly silence, followed by the sound of more booted feet. Too many feet. Were they Cole's men? Or Noin's? Relena's heart beat like a drum in her chest.

"Miss Relena?"

It was Cole's voice.

She didn't respond. She couldn't respond. Cole's men. They must be. Then that meant…

"Heero!" she cried. "Milliardo! What have you done to them?"

"You're all right, love," Cole told her. "Stay safe in there. Calm yourself. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry you. I'll be right there. Those double-crossers can't hurt you."

As he was speaking, Relena heard movement of people. And then Cole's voice became harsh, directed at someone else in the hallway. "Don't leave the bodies. Bring them below."

* * *

TBC 

You read all that? Thanks! I had to do a lot of research to get this chapter out, let me tell you! That is one reason it took so long. Writing 1xR is fun, but it took a lot of effort to piece the whole chapter together. I started in November (seriously) thinking it would only take a couple of weeks and I would have it out by Christmas, but obviously it took much longer. I had to reread my own story for one thing, as well as all my notes for it. I also researched Nevada and the situation with the nuclear waste storage in the Yucca territory (which is real, btw. In fact, it is being debated in legislation form as we speak...). Writing the scene with Duo was difficult, because I had to research weapons, military operations, nuclear storage, and the proposed tunnel layout for the Yucca mountain nuclear storage site (no, I'm not kidding), but I liked that scene a lot when I finished it. I also enjoyed describing the desert. Setting is one of those aspects of writing that gets overlooked a lot because it requires extensive visualization, detail, and research to do it well. I learned how amazing setting could be to a story from reading Willa Cather, who I still think is unrivaled as a writer of place and time.

My craft process as a writer has changed in the last year... I hope it is better! I keep trying to improve.

Please review!


	11. Mission Status: Critical

Sorry for the delay. I give myself deadlines in the hope that I can hit them, but I figure that even if I don't hit them, the deadline makes me at least finish! This time it was extra difficult because I wrote this AND a chapter for my Naruto fanfic White Rain (see my profile) AND tried to write an essay (failed). Anyway, I actually DID finish this chapter last weekend (Saturday night), but I had to give it to Mizaya to read through and edit, so that's why I'm posting now. It's getting confusing for me too, so I reread it a gazillion times. I hope there aren't any glaring plot errors, but well.. what are you going to do?

Enjoy!

* * *

Final Mission Status

Chapter 11

By Zapenstap

Edited by Mizaya

* * *

Duo heard the click of the gun as Dorothy unlocked the safety, but the bullet never came. With both hands raised, he opened his eyes. "Well?"

The word hung in the air between them. Dorothy smirked. "You really are a fool, Duo Maxwell."

"Huh?"

"I'm not going to shoot you." Her lips twisted in a smile. "At least not yet."

She didn't explain. Instead she began barking orders at the men she had brought with her into the tunnel. "Search the premises!" she said. "Make sure you've rounded up their whole party. Take anyone you find directly to the break room, no contact, and hold them there until you hear from me. I'll need to question these two"—she smiled down at Duo,—"and it may be necessary to have some collateral."

Duo rolled his eyes toward Sally. The brutish bloke was still holding her immobilized, his beefy arms trapping her wrists behind her back, but she didn't appear to be in pain. Duo's leg was throbbing from the gun wound.

Dorothy's men bound Duo's leg tightly in bandages. They were lifted to their feet—Duo wincing in agony and hobbling on a limp—only to be stripped of their weapons and their hands bound behind them. Dorothy's other men fanned out. It didn't take them long to wrest the two miners out of the pit and bind them likewise. Four soldiers led Duo's two miners away.

Well, at least they hadn't been shot dead. As long as they were alive, there was hope. Still, it didn't look good, especially not when they were to be separated this way. The break room was probably some kind of barracks where the soldiers kicked back between shifts. It wouldn't be easy getting in or out.

"Have the bombs been disarmed?" Dorothy asked what appeared to be the lead lieutenant coolly. Two dozen men appeared to be awaiting her orders in the tunnels. Six of them surrounded her like bodyguards.

"It appears so, sir."

_She would have them call her "sir"_, Duo thought sourly.

"Fantastic," Dorothy muttered without bothering to restrain her sarcasm. "No matter. They needed to hold this position for this little ploy to do them any good. We can still blow the canisters manually if we're given the order. Where are you supposed to be posted, soldier?"

"Fourth quadrant, sir. Are you going to leave anyone to guard this place?"

"Of course. A whole platoon will be sent directly. I'll also send some technicians down to re-rig those explosives. In the meantime, your quadrant is wide open, isn't it? You had better return there. More of these fools are lurking around the perimeter."

_Like Noin's teams._ Duo stifled a groan and tried to remain poker-faced. Maybe she was already inside. Then again, maybe she was already caught. If not, was there any way to warn her about that platoon? Looking at his leg, at Sally, at the dozens of troops with the guns, and at Dorothy's evilly confident face, he couldn't think of a damn thing.

He could only hope that Heero's team had been given some warning before Cole's people could react to their discovery. It didn't seem that Cole was dead, but he could hope that they had escaped somewhere safe with Relena.

Under precisely delivered orders, Dorothy's guard split into two organized groups while Dorothy herself marched Sally and Duo back along the main tunnel. She didn't march them alone. Her small entourage of six followed her: men who looked like veterans, some of them with scars, all of them grim-faced and stoic as they marched through the gloom of the mine. The lieutenant led the rest the opposite way, to wherever the fourth quadrant was—probably a defensive place from which they could head off Noin's perimeter teams.

At least Dorothy's soldiers didn't know where Noin's teams were coming from. They had entered under dark cover—no radio signals—just to give them that advantage, at least until the bombs were dismantled and Noin was able to reactivate the signal to give them the orders to move in. If his flare had worked, it was just a matter of time before those troops made it to the compound.

Of course, it might be too late for Duo and Sally—they were only good for one thing now. Duo hobbled as he walked, gritting his teeth, and wondered if Dorothy intended to doctor him further before resorting to interrogation and torture.

* * *

The prisoners were being difficult.

Cole frowned at the man Miss Relena said she had married. Even tied up, he looked a little wild. He was conscious, breathing heavily now, and staring at Cole with dark blue eyes that seemed—incredibly—to challenge him. Cole supposed he was the sort of rebellious bad boy that young girls were said to fall for before they wised up to the importance of maturity and security.

Such aimless, irresponsible young men were generally nothing but a drain on society.

Cole had ordered his men to constrain all three of Miss Relena's treacherous bodyguards as soon as they had been brought to the basement. The blonde man and the Chinese man he had had lashed with rope to a chain-link fence bolted to the wall. _That_ man he had strapped to a heavy metal table in the center of the room.

The basement was a square, concrete, low-ceilinged, rather uncomfortable hole in the ground Cole had outfitted with various instruments: hooks, chains, poles, rope, straps, and bits of metal of various lengths, shapes, and purposes. It was a secret room, and would remain safe from discovery, even if the Preventors' forces did manage to make it past his militia, which he doubted.

His alliance with Miss Catalonia had proven most profitable and hadn't cost him anything he cared about in the scheme of things. Dorothy would predict and outmaneuver the Preventors, and this little game would soon come to an end. Of course, it would be helpful if they were able to listen in on the enemy's communications. That was the information Cole wanted most now. If Dorothy captured the enemy, he was certain she would also do her best—or her worst—to obtain the frequency; he would do likewise.

Interrogation had always been fascinating to Cole. It was not because torture was horrific—Cole abhorred meaningless entertainment—but because it was practical. He had long been a proponent of what he liked to think of as "tough law." Criminals should not be allowed leniency, and confession was the most efficient means of procuring proper justice. Juries and trials were so flawed, and so many bad people let free through the "system". People lied at trials, but a man whose choice was to confess his misdeeds or have his fingernails ripped out usually told the truth.

Cole had tested it himself.

Miss Relena's so-called husband was oozing blood from a gunshot wound an inch in from the left side of his torso. The wound was not administered as part of the interrogation. The man had received it only because he had turned his attention from the shooting in the hallway long enough to lock Miss Relena in the honeymoon suite. The bullet had gone right through him, missing major internal organs, but leaving an ugly hole that had gushed blood.

Blood made Cole queasy. He rarely resorted to slashing or shooting during his interrogations. Upon entering the dank confines of the basement, he had ordered the man stripped to the waist and the wound dressed with gauze just to avoid looking at it. There was another reason too, of course: he didn't want this traitor to faint from blood loss before he had time to question him.

The man had thrashed wildly as he was laid out on the table. He didn't appear to thrash because of pain or fear, but to free himself. Aside from the red-darkened circle of blood marring the pristine white of the bandage wrapped around his middle, Relena's soldier-husband did not look or act like someone who had been shot. He showed surprising strength and it took three men to hold him down long enough to secure the leather straps.

The man now lay quietly, breathing hard, muscles flexing ineffectively against his bonds. The blood was just beginning to seep through the bandages. Cole frowned at the growing spot of red. He might have to make this quick.

But not too quick.

"Give me the name of the leaders who have infiltrated my mines," Cole requested in a calm, controlled voice. "And the frequency of their communicators." He would have liked to ask this man some other questions—personal questions—to see what he was made of, but that would have to wait. He could take his time with that later. First, he needed to take care of business.

The man didn't answer.

"Did you think you would be able to stop me?" Cole asked, more to make conversation and set the tone for the future proceedings. "Did you not think I would suspect you people to double-cross me?"

The wounded man lay still, staring at Cole with hard, intense eyes that would have frightened him if the traitor hadn't been restrained. As it was, Cole found it a little fascinating, like looking at a lion in a cage.

Cole didn't know much about soldiering from personal experience, but he recognized competence when he saw it, even in traitors. Miss Relena's three bodyguards had taken out twice their number in a matter of seconds before his reinforcements had managed to overwhelm and disarm them. For a moment, he had seriously feared for his life and was grateful he had employed so many bodies to jump in front of bullets in his defense. It was a shame to lose those fellows. Personal bodyguards weren't cheap.

"Not too chatty yet?" Cole asked Relena's soon-to-be-disposed-of husband. "This is clearly a break in our agreement, you know. Don't you feel you owe me some answers?"

While speaking, Cole's real attention was focused on preparing the instruments he would use to encourage this taciturn interloper to answer his questions. His favorite instruments were a series of shock treatment devices and burners. He had discovered that blood made other people as faint and queasy as it did him, which made it harder for them to answer questions and more likely to pass out. Pain was the way to go. Burning was easy to set up and produced good results, especially where the nerves were sensitive. Shock treatment was sometimes even more effective, but also more dangerous and difficult to set up, since it could cause organ failure and other problems if administered incorrectly.

He decided to start with burning. His instruments of choice were a series of wires, rulers, and pinchers, all with rubber handles, and all baking to a luscious red glow in a bronze pot of searing hot coals. These were old methods, with long, prestigious traditions dating back to ancient times. His instruments were already turning red, hot enough to singe the skin on the surface, even from a distance, and burn deeply if held in place. One of his favorites was a thin strip of metal, like a ruler, but longer and more flexible, that could be swung with effective force. His other favorite was the sharp poker, but that couldn't be used until the end.

He reminded himself that he had to be quick.

"This is a waste of time, you know."

The comment came from the Chinese man hanging on the wall behind him. He hung from the chain-link fence by the wrists. Much like in crucifixion, it would be hard for him to draw breath with his arms extended and gravity pulling his chest forward and down. He had to lift himself with the muscles in his arms in order to get enough air to speak with any energy.

"He won't tell you anything. Neither will we."

Cole chuckled. The man was only talking as a means of distracting him. He was probably trying to buy more time for rescue. "I suppose you expect to be rescued?" he chortled. "Don't. This room is quite hidden. I was alerted to your people in the mines, and I know they are not the only ones that commander of yours would have sent."

The Chinese man was silent. Cole turned back to the man on the table.

"Care to tell me more about them before I kill you?"

The man did not answer.

Cole smirked. "There's no point protecting them, you know. I was prepared for your offensive, you see. I had forces standing by, just waiting for your people to show up. I know your operations well. Miss Catalonia has been most helpful."

The man still did not react.

Cole frowned. "It may help you to know that your friends in the mines have been discovered. If there are any survivors, they will have been apprehended. They will be disposed of shortly, as will the rest of your group."

"Bastard!"

Cole turned. It was the Chinese man again. This time, his words were not meant to distract. He looked eye-blazingly angry.

"Don't let him speak to me that way," Cole said dismissively to the guards standing by the door. One of them rushed up to bludgeon the Chinese man in the head with the butt of his semi-automatic rifle. The thud echoed in the small concrete room. The guard who did the clocking grinned, bouncing on his toes with the excitement of permissive violence, and held the weapon at ready as the Chinese man spat blood out the side of his mouth.

"Just once, thank you," Cole said, reigning in his hireling. "Unless he interrupts again so rudely."

Cole turned back to the man lying stretched out of the table—Heero Yuy was his name, Cole knew; he just refused to acknowledge it—and reached for the rubber handle of an instrument like a strip of metal one inch-wide and several inches in length. The end was burning red from its bath in the coals.

"I didn't know the members of the government's Preventors unit were so rude and treacherous," he said mildly. "It doesn't improve my temper. Now answer my questions: how many are on your backup team, who are their leaders, and what signal are they on?"

He allowed his prisoner to get a look at the metal as he lowered it slowly toward the man's chest.

"What are you going to do with Relena?"

This came from the blonde man, who hung from the fence in a manner similar to his compatriot. Another distraction question. Cole smiled. They must care about each other. That could be useful. The guard with the semi-automatic raised his weapon to deliver another blow, but Cole halted him with a gesture.

"Marry her, of course," Cole replied.

"What if she doesn't want to marry you?"

Cole couldn't conceive of a reason why that would be true. "She will."

"Do you think this is the kind of life she wants?" the blonde man pressed. There was no emotion in his tone, neither sarcasm nor criticism nor approval. "Do you think she wants to marry a torturer?"

"Oh, she won't know about this," Cole explained. "I'll tell her you were all shot trying to kill me. Line of duty and all that. She'll understand. You can't think I'd let her know about _this_. These are affairs for men, not women! Realities like this must be kept from women. They are delicate. They must be sheltered."

"She doesn't love you," the blonde man said.

Cole frowned at him. "I don't imagine it will be difficult to persuade her to that."

He thought the soldier made a sound like a snort, but dismissed it as his imagination.

"I just hope she learns before the altar," he added. "And that none of your people do anything stupid. Just so you know, I've left guards outside her door in case she tries to escape." He smiled. "I've given them the command to kill her if something should go wrong and your people somehow manage to make it into my compound." He sighed. "Or if anything happens to me. I know it seems harsh, but it's only a last resort."

It was regrettable, but he had made up his mind. After today, Miss Relena would be his. Or no one's.

The man on the table did not react to this news. His wife in danger and he said nothing! Could Relena really love such a stoic and emotionless individual? Preposterous.

"I am constantly checking in with them," Cole said, and patted the comlink he carried at all times in his pocket, just to make sure it was still there. "If something should happen to me, however unlikely, they will know it because I will stop reporting. See how easy it is? That way I do not even need to give the order. I confess: it would be hard to command the death of such a beautiful creature." He sighed wistfully. "However, I do not expect there to be difficulties. Miss Catalonia will contact me when your people are all accounted for, and then there will be no use keeping the three of you or any of the other hostages alive any longer."

It was so simple really. Handicap everyone with fear. He had learned long ago that the only thing you needed to do to control someone—anyone—was to make them afraid. The catch was in having no fears yourself. Therefore, he had to condition himself to only care _so much_ about anyone. Everyone was expendable, even Miss Relena, should it come down to his life or hers.

Cole turned back to his victim, deciding to start out delicately so as to show that he was serious without marring him too much. After all, he was not a monster. At least, not unless he was forced to be.

With careful precision, he slowly drew the hot metal strip across the man's chest from shoulder to shoulder, just below the collarbone.

The reaction was interesting. The man's muscles tightened beneath the straps. He flexed his arms, shoulders, stomach, and legs, buckling slightly on the table. He did not shut his eyes. He kept them wide open, glaring at Cole like a rabid dog. He was gritting his teeth, jaw clamped shut. The sound that came from behind his closed lips was not quite a scream.

Cole set the instrument aside. It was time to be a bit more serious.

The Chinese man spoke, the words falling slowly but tensely from his mouth, as if his emotions were tied to strings he had to clench his hands into fists to control. "Shouldn't you be worried about our people finding you?"

Cole smiled. "Oh, I don't think so," he said. He used a pair of pliers to lift a circular metal piece from the coals. This he would lay on the man's skin and leave there until he was ready to talk. "Miss Catalonia anticipated this. She's told me a great deal about your operation. I suspect her people will meet yours before they get within a hundred yards of this compound."

* * *

Noin knew something was wrong even before she saw the signal from Duo's team. She felt it intuitively and wondered abstractly if Zechs was all right.

The signal only confirmed that something had happened. First there was the flare alerting them that the nuclear waste was disarmed, which was met with cheers by the specialty forces on Noin's team. Then there was the second flare, triggered by either Sally or Duo, indicating discovery. That both went off almost on top of each other could only mean….

"Keep it together," she told the men with her, and hoped the captains of the other groups spread throughout the area would do likewise. "Duo's team may be compromised, and the nuclear waste is most important. I'm taking the advance backup team in to secure the mines. Those of you with orders to secure the perimeter and advance to the compound know what to do. We don't have much time. Prepare for resistance. Keep your radios on the ready and wait for my signal."

Her best and brightest rallied to the shift in priorities, grimly organizing their people to carry out her instructions.

The contingency plan rolled smoothly into motion. The backup team followed her lead as commander across the desert terrain to the excavation entrance of the mining shaft—the same one Duo's team had been scheduled to breach. The desert sun beat hotly on their backs, but there were no incidents. By luck or skill, they seemed to have avoided outward notice.

However, when they arrived at the mines, Noin felt only a minimal amount of relief. Two of Duo's men were guarding the entrance, but they were both sweating, gripping their weapons with callused fingers when Noin's party met them at the entrance. Seeing it was Noin, relief flooded their faces,

"Commander! They're not back. They should have sent someone by now at the very least. Something may have happened."

"Yeah," Noin said heavily. "We're going in. Can you hold this position?"

They nodded.

"Turn on your communicators. We need to move fast, and if we move fast enough, they won't have time to locate and unscramble our signal. Everything depends on speed. If anything happens, alert us immediately. Shout if you have to."

Noin's team filed past, groping their way through the tunnels with their heaviest hitters leading the charge for an anticipated frontal assault. They were prepared for anything: gunman, melee fighters, explosives, anything but what they found.

The main tunnel of the mineshaft was deserted. Noin and her team stumbled into the area with guns ready, poised for bloodshed. The tunnel walls sloped up over their heads in a dome twenty feet high at least, sheltering several lines of train tracks leading from the deepest part of the tunnel all the way to the desert. It was an enormous cavern, capable of holding several hundred men, but it was empty, and ominously silent. Even the pit where the nuclear waste was kept seemed to have been left unguarded. Noin's men reported only a mess of footprints and all the canisters of nuclear waste efficiently disarmed.

"Duo's team succeeded," Noin muttered. "Why isn't anyone here?"

"Commander, there has clearly been gunfire," one of her subordinates informed her after conducting a sweep of the area. "The evidence suggests that Duo, Sally Po, and their team have been killed or taken. What are your orders?"

It had to be taken. Noin's first thought was to go after Duo and Sally, to free them from whatever fate might befall them in enemy hands, but she knew she couldn't. Everything depended on securing the nuclear waste first, and then the compound, and finally Cole. What she didn't understand was why none of Cole's men were here if they had discovered Duo's team and _knew_ the Preventors were trying to get at the waste.

Perhaps it was a trap. Noin bit her lip, casting a glance back at the soldiers she had brought with her, soldiers who trusted and depended on her leadership. It had to be a trap, but even so, they had to hold.

"We stay here to keep this area secured," she said.

Her soldiers swallowed, but nodded. They understood, of course. She had personally handpicked the best for this part of the mission, soldiers who knew what was at stake and would obey her orders no matter what. They had to hold. Duo and Sally might very well be dead already. Besides, even if they were alive, she had no way of knowing where they had been taken.

Now that they had control of the nuclear waste, the next step was to start the perimeter teams moving in. This was the most dangerous part of the mission if the original plan went awry and Heero's team was unable to take out Cole from the inside directly. It was most dangerous because there was no way to coordinate an offensive without using signals to communicate, and it was likely that Cole's people would be searching constantly for signals to intercept. If they found theirs, they would be able to listen in and head them off.

But she couldn't worry about that. This was it: end game. They had to take down Cole, and to do that, they had to get inside the compound—fast—before his forces could overwhelm theirs. Since Cole's men were mercenaries that relied on Cole for payment, they might very well capitulate if he was arrested. Taking down Cole was also the fastest way to help Duo and Sally…and the others too, if they were in trouble.

Noin didn't waste a second. She ordered the radio frequency activated and contacted the captains of the first, second, third, and fourth teams directly. As she told them to tighten the perimeter, she sent a prayer to heaven that somehow they would all get out of this alive.

* * *

Relena lay completely still with her stomach pressed to the floor, trying to peer beneath the doorframe into the hallway where Heero, Zechs, and Wufei had been ambushed. She estimated the number of pounding boots to indicate the militant presence of half a dozen armed guards at least.

There was only emptiness now. Silence. She couldn't see anything beneath the doorway, not since the body that had blocked her view had been drug out of sight. She had watched, horrified, as the heels of his boots slid out of view. All she could see now were the hallway tiles.

_Don't leave the bodies. Bring them below._

She was alone.

Pulling her face away from the door, Relena pushed up to her knees and got to her feet.

She wouldn't believe that Heero or any of the others were dead. She couldn't believe it. She would help them somehow.

The frilly decadence of the rooms Cole had made up for her seemed twice as claustrophobic. She eyed the puffy coverlet, the gaudy knickknacks, and the lace doilies with a growing feeling of revulsion. Between the queasiness in her stomach and the panic in her breast, it was an effort not to vomit.

Tying her hair back with a ribbon from her pocket, she looked around for something she could use to escape this birdcage. The bars on her window were made of gold. She knew very little about working with metals, but she knew gold was soft. Perhaps there was a way she could cut them, heat them, or bend them? She would need something very hard or something very sharp. If she couldn't get out of the window, then maybe there was something she could use to pry open the door?

Relena began by flinging open the closet door. Ignoring the hideous dresses—frilly, little girl tea party attire—she pulled everything off the top shelves. Finding nothing of value in the closet, she turned to ransack the rest of the room. Nothing was spared. She even pulled her bedding and mattress apart. She rifled through every box and drawer in every dresser and chest in the room. She even pounded the walls for secret niches or cupboards.

In her search, she found a pile of extra lace doilies, fragrance oils and incense, a ceramic elephant from India, and a hardback book about marriage, children, and the keeping of house and home. On her knees beside the hope chest, she stared at it for at least a minute in disbelief. The review on the back cover was mesmerizing:

This book is a wonderful addition to the traditional school of thought on love and marriage. With insightful prose and undeniable logic, this book will reaffirm your belief in love and the intrinsically valuable roles men and women assume for each other in keeping a happy home, rearing children, and setting a positive example for others under the eyes of God.

That wasn't _so_ bad. There was a handwritten note on the inside cover, addressed to her from Cole.

My dearest, Relena. I picked this up for us. It is a testament of the kind of meaningful life I hope to have with you. If you should find this, please read chapter three. I have annotated the passages I find particularly…

She flipped to chapter three.

A husband's duty is to love and care for his wife, to see to her needs, to encourage her in all her domestic pursuits, and to protect her from the world. A wife's place is to see to the needs of her husband, to defer to him in all matters, to keep silent when he speaks, and to make his home a sanctuary.

Relena hurled the book across the room. It hit the wall beneath the window with a thud. It wasn't just the audacity of the text, it was the mind-numbing boredom, the uselessness of a life that was a doll's life. She wanted what she had with Heero—even the _fake_ marriage she had had with Heero—over that garbage.

Relena scrambled to her feet and flew to the bathroom. She threw open the cabinets, one after the next, scanning the contents for something, anything. Lotion. Soap. Dental Floss. Toothpicks. Towels. A nail file. Lubricant?

She paused for a moment. Maybe she could use the dental floss to release the catch on the door somehow? Or maybe the nail file, if she worked hard and long enough, would cut through gold. Doubtful. If she could just find something heavy…. Relena flung open the doors beneath the sink and eyed the piping with careful consideration. She would need tools to work that apart—a screwdriver, a wrench—never mind the water. Unless…. Maybe the lubricant could be useful.

Relena was contemplating how she would deal with the water filling up the room if she did manage to take apart the piping when she heard a loud bang against the wall just below her bedroom window. The thud hit approximately where she had thrown the book, but this time from the outside.

Leaving the contents of her bathroom where she had found them, Relena crept through the mess on the floor to the outside wall. Glass window shutters with crystal knobs kept the evening air from the room. Relena flung them open. Behind them, separating her from freedom, were the four golden window bars. She pressed her face against them and peered down at the grounds below.

She gasped at the sight. "Thank god!"

Duo waved at her, limping on one leg, the other bandaged around the thigh with white gauze. Sally stood beside him, her face covered in dust and grime, but her eyes glowing with the red-gold light of the desert as she stared up at Relena's window from the grass lawn below.

But wait. With them was…

"Dorothy!" Relena gasped. What was Dorothy doing here?

And it wasn't just Dorothy. It was Dorothy plus six heavily armed soldiers, all gruff-looking men in their mid-to-late thirties who looked like they had seen action in the past and were grimly prepared for more of it. By the look of it, it wasn't Dorothy that had been captured by Duo and Sally's team, but the other way around. Relena felt as if her heart had sunk right out of her chest.

The soldiers stood around Duo and Sally like guards, each clasping a weapon in two hands, with more strapped to their persons. Dorothy stood out in front of them, garbed head to toe in desert camouflage with a handgun held in one hand. She smiled up at Relena, a fox-like gleam in her eye.

"Duo, Sally! Are you all right?" Relena called.

"So far!" Duo shouted back, eyeing the guards around him warily, as if concerned one of them might shoot him for speaking. They didn't move, though. They didn't even look at him. They appeared to be under Dorothy's command. "Good to see you're alive, princess," Duo called up. "Where are Heero and Wufei and Zechs?"

Relena pressed her face against the bars and closed her eyes. "I don't know," she said. "They were taken by Cole's men, somewhere below. I don't know where. It's all happened so fast! Cole received a warning on his phone, and then there was shooting. It happened in the hallway outside this room. I'm trapped in here."

Dorothy seemed to be ignoring their conversation, consulting instead with one of the older men with her in tones Relena could not hear from where she stood. After a few moments, she looked up.

"Miss Relena," she said. "Please stand away from the window."

Relena blinked. "What?"

Two of Dorothy's soldiers withdrew grappling hooks from the bags they wore on their backs. Relena immediately understood. Were they going to climb up here?

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Rescuing you," Dorothy replied blithely.

Duo and Sally both swung their faces to stare at Dorothy, eyes wide in obvious shock.

"We haven't time to waste, Miss Relena," Dorothy continued. "I insist you stand back."

Relena did as Dorothy directed, but only because she had no other choice. The soldiers were preparing to launch the grappling hooks by the look of it, and in a moment the heavy metal claws would come hurling toward her face. She retreated several paces away, tripping over the mess she had made of her room until she was safe on the other side of the bed.

It took the soldiers a couple of tries to catch the lip of her window with the grappling hooks, but once they did, she heard Dorothy's voice once again calling up to her.

"Relena, if you could adjust those so that they catch those bars from the inside, we should be able to yank them out. That would be the easiest thing, I think. As I recall, they aren't in there too deeply. Cole was a little cheap with them."

Relena didn't understand. What was Dorothy playing at? How could she possibly be here to "rescue her" after betraying all of them? What would she do once she had Relena in her custody? After a moment's thought, Relena decided that she didn't care. If Dorothy planned to kill her, she would die, simple as that, but she sure as hell wasn't going to hide in this room while Cole tortured or killed Heero and the others. She would rather take her chances with Dorothy.

Relena moved back to the window and twisted the two grappling hooks until she managed to wiggle them to her side of the window and turned them so that each hook grabbed two bars. Below her, Dorothy's men were waiting.

Relena leaned through the window. "Ready," she called, and then pulled her head back.

The men below operated some mechanism and the grappling hooks retracted with such astounding force that all four bars flew out of Relena's window, spinning end over end in the air to fall like lead on the grass. One landed at Duo's feet.

He picked it up and examined it. "Is this _gold_?" he exclaimed.

"Leave it there," Sally hissed at him. "It's not yours."

Duo silently stuffed the gold bar in his pack with a sidelong look at Sally.

"All right, Relena," Dorothy called up to her, ignoring Duo. "We're going to toss you a rope ladder. Find something to secure it to and we'll be right up."

"Why are you doing this?" Relena demanded.

"No time for questions, Miss Relena. If you value Heero's life, you need to hurry."

Still bewildered, Relena caught the end of the rope ladder as it was tossed up and tied the long ends of the ropes to the bottom of the bedposts between the mattress and the floor. As a precaution, she pushed and pulled the bed across the room, all the way to the window so that the mattress was level with the windowsill, just in case the bed was not heavy enough to support the weight of a person. She didn't want it to flip up against the wall.

Meanwhile, Dorothy's men were nailing pegs into the ground, securing the other end of the ladder to the earth. As soon as that was done, the first of them began to climb up, his rifle slung across his back. Another followed. Relena sat on the bed, watching until the men got close enough to climb through, and then scooted aside to allow them admittance. As each person came up, they clambered across the bed and found a place to stand elsewhere in the room. They pointed their guns at the bed, the window, and Relena.

Dorothy ordered Sally and Duo up next. Duo struggled to make the climb, cursing his leg and gritting his teeth as he forced himself to work through the pain of whatever injury he had sustained. Relena helped him over the sill when he reached the top, and Sally next, who hugged her once she was through. Two more guards followed them. Four of Dorothy's soldiers lined up on the other side of the room, between them and the door, facing the three of them on the bed like a firing squad

"It is good to see you're all right!" Sally exclaimed, pointedly ignoring the guns. "We were terrified that you might have been killed when we were discovered."

"What happened?" Relena asked.

"We were ambushed in the mining tunnels," Duo explained. "Dozens of soldiers, all armed. We managed to disarm the explosives and send the signal to Noin, but barely. Then Dorothy took us captive. She was leading the ambush. She must have called Cole to alert him. We can only assume that Noin is next."

"Not exactly," Dorothy said, climbing through the window last of all. She bounced across the bed and into the room to side with her soldiers, kicking aside the mess Relena had strewn across the floor with a steel-toed boot. The ceramic elephant Relena had found shattered into pieces. "I wasn't leading the men who attacked you. I intercepted them after they began their strike. I merely told them what to do after they had you cornered."

Sally, Relena, and Duo sat side by side on the bed like bumps on a log, staring at Dorothy as she tossed her blonde hair. "Cole trusts me," she said. "I am, after all, a Romafeller. Our families go way back, and he believes that we have a mutual stake in helping one another out. Which we do."

"What are you talking about?" Relena demanded. "What are you after? Why did you betray us? Is it just a game?"

"Of course it's a game," Dorothy snorted. "Everything is a game, and in all games there are winners and losers."

"And what do you win?" Sally asked.

"Something I consider to be of inestimable value," Dorothy replied. "Did you know Cole has the deed to on space factory capable of manufacturing gundaniam alloy? It used to belong to my family, years ago, but he bought it following the end of the war when so many Romafeller families scrambled to dissociate from anything militant. He and I have been talking about it for two years. I couldn't get him to seed it over to me, not for any price. It has been quite frustrating." She smirked. "But he finally did promise it to me, Miss Relena, if I promised to help him make you his bride."

Relena felt sick. She knew about the kind of factories Dorothy was talking about. In fact, she had read a report on one earlier this week. While the government had seized and dismantled most military bases in space, some powerful nobles and businessmen had managed to keep a few under private ownership. They were treated like memorials for the most part, and reaped a little profit as tourist attractions or museums, but it had irked her that they could potentially be used to manufacture weapons in secret, without anyone being the wiser. She had not known that Cole had gotten his hands on one.

"But now it's they're mine," Dorothy continued. "He signed the papers when we confirmed that you were en route to meeting him here. So you see, no matter what, I win."

"This isn't a game, Dorothy!" Relena exploded. "Heero might be killed! He could be dead already. And my brother, and Wufei too. Everyone who risked their lives to protect me, to protect the whole world from madmen like Cole and… and…"

"Greedy, traitorous bitches like you," Sally spat.

Dorothy made a sound like a gasp, but a mocking one. "And here I thought you knew me better!" Dorothy said.

"What are you talking about?" Relena demanded.

"Don't you see, Miss Relena? I'm on your side. I told you so before."

Relena stared at her. "On my side?"

"That's correct."

"I have no idea what you mean."

"You've been leaking information to Cole about our operation," Duo interjected. "He was prepared for us because of you! How can you say you're on Relena's side? She's with us! Were you thinking you'd get us out of here alive and that would be enough? It isn't!"

"Certainly I gave Cole information," Dorothy said. "He was quite prepared. He was prepared to deal with you, all of you, exactly as I instructed," Dorothy said, "rather than in his own way, which, I assure you, would have been most unpleasant."

Relena could scarcely breathe, much less think. "But…"

"I kept him from killing everyone as soon as they set foot on his property, for example," Dorothy said smoothly. "And convinced him to appoint me as lead general of his hired militia, which has enabled me to give them orders like, oh, leaving the mine shaft unattended."

Duo's mouth was hanging open. "You said you were sending technicians to rewire the bombs and guard the shaft against our other teams!"

"Yes, but I didn't _mean_ it." Seeing the disbelieving expression on all their faces, she sighed. "I don't have time to argue about it. You can ask me all the questions you like later. Right now I need you to tell me the frequency signal your people are using to communicate. I need to know what your people are doing so I can keep Cole's away from them. We have to move fast. There isn't much time."

Relena's thoughts whirled. If Dorothy was playing double agent for the Preventors and directing Cole's troops away from places where they might intercept Noin's, then that meant Cole's entire compound could fall without resistance. It could be theirs much faster, and with fewer casualties on both sides. But if she was lying and this was another manipulation, then she would use the signal against them, the body count would be horrific, and Dorothy would not only have control of Cole's men, but the nuclear waste, a space factory, and the Vice Foreign Minister.

How could they possibly determine if she was lying?

"What about these guys?" Duo demanded, pointing at the guards with Dorothy. "If you're telling the truth, shouldn't they be shooting you right about now?"

"Don't be stupid. Cole didn't hire them. I did. They're veterans from the war, which means they've had enough of fighting, just like all of you, just like me. They've been with me on this for months."

_Months?_

Relena was speechless. Duo's mouth was working, but no sound was coming out. Dorothy was claiming that she had secretly been scheming _against_ Cole for _months_?

"But…"

"No more questions," Dorothy snapped. "You don't have a choice. If you want Heero and the others to survive Cole for long, we need to coordinate our efforts. Give me the signal!"

Relena, Sally, and Duo all exchanged glances.

"You have to make a choice whether to believe me or not," Dorothy said. "You can trust me, or we can just wait until your people do their thing, but it will take longer than if we coordinate and I tell my people exactly where to go so that yours can get through. Heero and the others were not supposed to be captured. That wasn't part of the plan. If we wait too long, they will die. Cole is not a pleasant person. He will interrogate them, rashly if he feels pressured, and if he learns enough, he will counteract my orders and undo all that I have done. You will probably still win, but you will lose a lot more people, starting first with Heero. I guarantee it."

Relena couldn't breathe. The safest thing to do as far as the original mission was concerned was tell Dorothy nothing and hope that Noin's teams found Cole on their own. But if Dorothy was right, they _would_ need help getting there in time. They would need help just finding him. Where was "below"?

"I think we should trust her," Sally said abruptly.

"You've got to be crazy!" Duo exclaimed. "She's working with the enemy. They shot at us! I have a hole in my leg to prove it!"

"If we don't, the others are as good as dead, and we'll be next," Sally retorted. "This way, everyone has at least a chance. If she's lying, we all be dead, sure, but if she is, we will be anyway. Even so, our soldiers are better trained than Cole's. They'll succeed in the overall mission objective and Dorothy can be dealt with later, even if she escapes. However, even if she's guilty, she's also right: Heero and the others will die if we have to search this place top to bottom to find them. But if she is telling the truth, and _is_ on our side, we might just be able to save Heero, Zechs, and Wufei."

Oh God, Relena thought. This was no choice. This was insanity. Still… She didn't even know the signal, but she _did_ have a vote. She lifted her chin and looked Dorothy straight in the face. She wasn't going to be afraid. "Everyone, especially Heero, is always risking their lives to save mine. This time… This time I will do it. It's a risk, but there are no rewards without risks. I agree with Sally."

"Ah, hell," Duo said, squeezing his eyes shut. "Two against one. Damn it! I hate these kinds of decisions."

"Time is of the essence!" Dorothy hissed.

"Fine," Duo said, "but Heero's going to punch me in the face for breaking protocol!"

Dorothy scowled. "At least he'll be alive long enough to have the pleasure. The frequency?"

"We're on channel four."

Dorothy whipped a cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number. They could all hear it ringing.

Someone answered almost immediately.

Relena tried to concentrate on breathing, wondering if these were the last moments of her life, if she would ever see Heero again, if she could ever tell him all that she really had loved him, that she was sorry for all the misunderstandings, and that really she wanted him to be happy. She could feel her heart beating.

"Cole?" Dorothy said. "It's Dorothy."

"Hey!" Duo cried. "Why are you calling _him_?"

Sally shushed him. Relena strained her ears.

"Dorothy, at last!" Cole's voice came. It sounded small through the phone's receiver, but excited. "Where are you?"

"In success," Dorothy said. "Where are you?"

"In the basement."

"Are Relena's guards with you?"

"Yes."

Relena could hear her heart beating in her chest. "Heero!" she cried, hoping to be heard through the phone. "Heero, are you all right?"

There was a pause and then the sound of Cole laughing. "Finally!" he chuckled. "A response from him! He's been most resistant."

"Is that so?" Dorothy murmured. "Tell him something for me. I want him to know how thoroughly he's lost."

"I will," Cole said, sounding gleeful. "Right before I kill him. But first you need to hold up your end of the deal. What's the frequency? Did you find out?"

"Of course," Dorothy said smoothly.

_No_, Relena thought, but in vain.

"It's channel four. Your turn. The great Mr. Yuy and I have some unfinished business. Tell Heero I have secured the mines as well as the nuclear waste."

"You lied! You did send people!" Duo gasped.

Dorothy ignored him, but there was a smile on her face as she spoke. It was the look of triumph. "Tell him also that I have his friends Duo and Sally here with me right now. Finally, you can let him know that I have Miss Relena in my absolute control."

* * *

TBC

There's really only about one chapter left, unless I've miscalculated how long I think the next scenes will take. Please review! I luv them. Even though I'm slow, I'm not REALLY as slow as it seems. It's just that I have like eight writing jobs. I write for a living. Then I come home and write more (also on weekends). I crit for a writers group. I'm writing two fanfics, one novel, and also Naruto essays. It just…takes time.

Even so, I will try to update faster! After all, it's almost done. 


	12. Mission Status: Complete

Welcome to the final chapter! Some reviews last chapter concerned me because there seemed to be an impression that there was a LOT more left, but the climax started last chapter. This is the END.

Oh yeah. No one guessed (or at least wrote in a review) the twist. I hope it meets approval!

* * *

Final Mission Status

Chapter 12: Mission Accomplished

By Zapenstap

"Dorothy, you traitor! How could you?"

Relena launched herself off the bed, but before she could move more than a foot to slap the woman, one of Dorothy's guards lowered his gun and darted between them to intercept her. Muscled arms caught her and spun her around so that she stood with her back to the soldier, her hands trapped at her sides as she wiggled ineffectively in an iron-hard grip.

"Let go of me!"

"Tie her up if you have to," Dorothy barked. "And those two as well." She gestured at Sally and Duo. "I need to concentrate." She fiddled with the comlink, listening (Relena assumed) to the communications between Noin's people. The whole room was silent. They could only hear a crackle from the feed, but watching Dorothy's eyes as she listened told them something. When Dorothy smiled and switched the frequency again, Duo groaned.

"Don't do it," Sally whispered.

Dorothy ignored her. "Sterns? This is Dorothy Catalonia. Send your people to B point immediately. If you run into Kaiser, take his men with you too. The Preventor forces have breached our outer defense. Don't engage before alerting me."

"Damn," Duo muttered.

Relena merely bit her lip, having subsided from her outburst.

Her first question had been answered. Dorothy didn't want to kill them, at least not her, or not yet. That could mean several things. It might mean that Dorothy intended to hand Relena over to Cole alive. It could also mean that Dorothy didn't care about Cole, and really was "on Relena's side," but only where Relena's life alone was concerned.

This second option concerned Relena the most. She could see Dorothy handing her over to Cole to be married to the crazed man, but it seemed a little out of character for the woman. Dorothy had always professed a great admiration for Relena, even when their ideologies were total opposites. And Cole was clearly deranged. Relena suspected that even if Dorothy had intended all along to betray the Preventors, she might still be planning to rescue her.

Whatever Dorothy's intentions, the only question that really mattered was how Relena could play the value of her life to her advantage—to Heero's advantage really. She was used to dealing with complicated matters directly, transparently, and diplomatically. But this would take strategy, and perhaps deceit, with which she was less familiar. Still, if she wanted to have any leverage at all, she would have to play skillfully, and fast.

Heero's life was at stake.

* * *

Wufei struggled against the ropes that lashed his arms firmly to the chain-link fence in this vile underground torture chamber. His fingers tingled from loss of blood, and it was a bit of a struggle to draw breath, but over all he was in good shape.

When Heero had been shot outside Relena's honeymoon suite, he had feared something like this would happen. It was Heero's mission priority to secure Relena's safety under gunfire, to use his own body as a shield if he had to, but doing so had cost them all whatever advantage they might have had in skill and experience.

They were overwhelmed quickly. Cole's men came at them armed to the teeth and hauled them brutally from the upper chambers of the mansion to this pit of evil in the belly of the mountain.

The room disgusted Wufei. In any situation, torture was a malicious practice. That was his feeling. It was a practice only civilians ever condoned—civilians who would never have to fear suffering it themselves.

It had been brutal to watch Heero being subjected to it, more so than the pain and dizziness he felt after being bludgeoned for letting his temper get the best of him when Cole revealed that Duo and Sally's team had been compromised. Wufei was worried about Duo and Sally, but not as much as he was about Heero, whose distress was right in front of him.

Every time Wufei flexed his muscles, the bonds got a little looser. Just not quite loose enough. If he could get the attention of Cole's guards off of him, he might be able to toss himself the blade he had strapped to the inside of his boot, but attempting to do so while they were being watched with guns leveled at their chests was too chancy.

He could wait it out awhile, but Heero was in need of help now. His attempts to delay Cole hadn't worked. Even Zechs's attempt to provoke the man with questions about his intentions and Relena's feelings had failed. Probably Zechs hoped to give Cole feelings of doubt, which might make him stupid, but Cole had tortured Heero anyway.

The burn mark across Heero's chest was an ugly red color now, like a strip of deep sunburn that would blister and peel if not treated properly.

Wufei told himself that Heero could endure this much, and that doing something stupid now would only get them all killed faster. It was just sickening to see a war hero, an honorable veteran who had put his life on the line for the sake of peace both during the war and after, subjected to meaningless interrogation by an overstuffed old buffoon out of his wits.

Cole lifted a burning iron disc from his pot of coals with his tongs. Beside him, Wufei heard Zechs growl.

Wufei opened his mouth to say something, to verbally abuse Cole for being a coward, an ingrate, a pompous, overconfident ass, or anything else that might distract him long enough to give Noin's people more time. But right when he was about to speak, Heero turned his face toward them. His eyes hammered him and Zechs both, seeming to say, _Don't interfere._

_Don't be noble on my account_, Wufei glared back, but it was too late anyway.

Cole deposited the red ring on Heero's torso. Heero didn't scream, but he thrashed violently, the muscles in his stomach tightening and his shoulders and legs twisting in a blur of motion until the disc flew off.

Cole's eyes followed the disc as it rolled off the table and clattered on the ground. He seemed about to comment, but then his phone rang. He answered it with hardly a glance at his victim. Heero continued to thrash as if moving his muscles would pull him away from his own burning flesh.

"Dorothy, at last!" Cole exclaimed. "Where are you?"

Wufei felt as if the wind had been kicked out of his body.

Wufei tried to calculate their chances of survival if Dororthy was working with Cole. No doubt, she would be leading his mercenaries. Noin's best-trained people should be moving in now, but Dorothy Catalonia was a competent general. She had a level head and an iron resolve. She was more capable than Wufei wanted to admit when it came to engaging Preventor forces, whose operations she knew very well.

Wufei couldn't hear what Dorothy was saying to Cole, but he assumed it was a confirmation of some sort by the way Cole nodded and the smiled.

"In the basement," Cole replied, and listened again. He then smirked at Heero, who had stopped thrashing and was staring at Cole with an intense expression, listening hard, it seemed, to at least his end of the conversation. "Yes." The look Cole directed at Heero was an almost patronizing insult.

That was when Wufei thought he heard a faint sound like a woman's voice shouting in the background. It was unclear what she said, but it sounded like Relena.

Heero's expression altered when he heard that sound. It registered a whole range of emotions Wufei couldn't begin to qualify, beginning with relief, and worry, and finalizing in resolve.

"Finally!" Cole chuckled, watching this display on Heero's face with an expression like glee. "A response from him! He's been most resistant."

Cole giggled as if he found Heero's distress amusing. As he listened to Dorothy, he rummaged with his rubber tongs in the burning coals where his other torture devices were still baking, including an iron poker with a long wooden handle.

"I will," Cole said, and lifted the red poker from the coal pot. The sharp end glowed a dull, angry red. "Right before I kill him. But first you need to hold up your end of the deal. What's the frequency? Did you find out?"

Wufei's chest tightened. No. She couldn't have found that out… could she?

Wufei gritted his teeth and barely restrained himself from kicking the guard beside him in the face.

Cole turned to smile triumphantly at all of them before turning off his phone and putting it away in his breast pocket. He lifted the poker and swung it in the air before Heero's eyes like a rapier. "Your people are communicating on the level four frequency," he said. "It won't be long now."

"Zechs," Wufei hissed.

"I know," the other man said.

They were both ready to die, but powerless to do much worth dying for. Wufei thought again of the knife in his boot. He had wiggled his left hand pretty loose. Perhaps it was enough. If he could get that knife to his hand swiftly enough, he would have one shot at one of his three adversaries: the mercenary beside him with the gun, the mercenary standing near Zechs with a gun, or a small possibility of Cole himself. He would have the best chance of hitting the guard closest to him, but not before the other guard shot him and Zechs both. He licked his lips, tensing to try for it anyway. He had been lucky in his lifetime. Maybe he would get lucky again. He looked at Zechs, catching his eyes, and flicked his own eyes toward the guard nearest him as if to say _I can take this one._

Zechs nodded.

"Wait!"

It was Heero's voice, a sharp, guttural sound emitted from a hoarse throat.

Wufei paused. Cole stood with the red hot poker still in his hand, hovering above Heero's chest, the sharp end undulating slightly just under Heero's chin. He laughed. "Begging now? There's no reason. You've lost. Didn't you hear? Dorothy Catalonia is my double agent, and she has your people in a snare. She told me to tell you that she has secured the mines and the nuclear waste as well. She is with Miss Relena now. Tonight, Relena will become my bride."

Heero's eyes burned brightly. Wufei felt his own face flaming red with anger. He struggled against his bonds. He had more movement of his wrists, but couldn't quite pull himself free. Just a little more.

"Oops," Cole said. "That reminds me. I want her to be alive when I marry her."

He smiled at Heero as he withdrew a comlink from his pocket with his free hand. He pressed a button on the device, sending a signal to the men he said he had set to guard Relena's room and kill her if he did not continually communicate with them. Wufei watched Heero's eyes narrow.

"See?" Cole said. "All is going according to _my_ design. Who did you think you were, a poor solider like you, claiming to be Miss Relena's husband?" He scoffed. "Relena is mine." He lifted the comlink in his thumb and forefinger and shook it in Heero's face as if it were a symbol of his conquest, before sliding it back into his pocket.

Cole grip tightened on the poker handle. He assumed the fighting stance of a duelist. His expression hardened; turned to stone. It was like looking into the face of a gargoyle. His elbow swung back and then forward, driving the red poker straight toward the soft skin under Heero's chin, a blow that would puncture his brain.

Wufei didn't see it. At that moment, Cole's men had turned their heads to watch—both of them. Seizing his opportunity, Wufei kicked his feet up and twisted his body, grunting as he swung his boots hard into the face of the guard nearest him. The man stumbled, shouting, one hand clutching his temple, the other hand fumbling blindly for his gun. In the same motion, he pulled his left wrist free from the loop binding it to the fence and propelled his legs up over his head. The knife in his boot fell straight out and down into his hands. With a forcefully measured flick, he managed to spin the knife handle in his hand and toss it with just enough penetrating force.

The blade cut through the air and plunged through the hand covering the guard's eye with a thunk. The knife trapped both together as the man buckled forward and collapsed on his knees, the knife handle sticking straight out from his face. It had pierced hand and eye, penetrating skin, cartilage and bone to puncture the brain. He didn't make a sound as it hit. He was dead before he hit the ground.

It had only taken a few seconds. Wufei looked up.

Cole had lunged forward, but Heero had somehow loosened his straps enough to move his head aside. Then, to Wufei's utter amazement, Heero sat up. The straps around his body snapped apart as if they were brittle. All that thrashing, Wufei realized suddenly, hadn't been because of the pain.

Heero closed one fist over the end of the poker Cole thrust at his face as it passed his head, seizing the part just above the area that burned red from the heat of the coals. Cole, his body still in a forward lunge, had no time to recover. Heero wrenched the poker from his grip and spun it around so that the handle clocked Cole in the back of the head. Cole dropped to his knees, bleeding from his scalp. At the same time, Heero got off the table. The poker twirled in his hand, again much like a rapier blade, only Heero was clearly more adept at handling one.

"Who are you?" Cole gasped.

"Gundam Pilot Heero Yuy. I'm Relena's protector."

Heero gave him no time to react. He ran the poker through Cole's chest. Cole coughed, blood bubbling from his mouth as his knees buckled and gave way. He would have fallen prone, but Heero caught him by the back of his neck and dropped the poker to the ground.

"Relena doesn't belong to anyone," Heero said. "As for Dorothy Catalonia, a woman like that wouldn't work for a man like you."

Cole's mouth worked silently, choking on blood, but Heero didn't seem too interested in what he had to say. Without another word, he snapped Cole's neck with both hands and let the body fall.

The last remaining guard stood gaping between the corpse at Wufei's feet and Cole's body sliding to the ground at Heero's feet. Heero's torso was still bandaged, his side bleeding a circle of red from the gun wound that had been tightly dressed but not properly stitched. The two burn marks on his chest and torso marred his skin. Heero turned to look at the guard with cold, impersonal eyes. The guard's hand trembled on the gun.

"Give that to me," Heero ordered, gesturing to the semi-automatic rifle.

The mercenary tossed it to him. "Please don't kill me," the mercenary said.

"Cut them down," Heero responded, indicating Wufei and Zechs as he adjusted the trigger.

The mercenary rushed to cut their bonds as Heero instructed. His hands shook as he withdrew an army knife and sawed away at the ropes. Zechs was lowered first. He landed solidly on his feet and straightened as the mercenary ran to cut Wufei down.

It was a relief to be standing on his feet. Wufei rotated his shoulders in the sockets, gauging how badly they were strained, and determined it wasn't enough to keep him from doing anything needed at the moment.

"How did you do that?" he asked Heero.

"Same as you," Heero replied.

Heero knelt at Cole's side and withdrew the dead man's cell phone and the comlink from his pocket. He pressed what must have been the redial for the last received number on the phone and held it to his ear.

"Dorothy? This is Heero Yuy. "

"Heero," Zechs interrupted. "Be careful. Even if you're right and she's not loyal to Cole, she's still a double agent. That makes her dangerous. She can't be trusted."

"Dorothy Catalonia was never Cole's double agent," Heero replied stoically. "And she can be trusted. She works for me."

Zechs gaped.

Wufei could only stare.

"Dorothy," Heero continued into the phone, ignoring them both now. "Mission complete. Cole is dead, but we have a problem. There are guards patrolling the hallways outside Relena's doors. They are ordered to engage if they don't hear from Cole. I don't know how much time you have to take them out. Wufei, Zechs, and I are contained in a small cellar room, roughly above the A sector in the west wing. There is a hidden floor panel that leads down a flight of stairs. Tell Relena where we are, wait for Noin's people to find you, and get out of there. Do you copy?"

* * *

"Copy that," Dorothy said into her cell phone, and then murmured in a softer voice, "Glad to hear it."

Relena swallowed from where she was still being gripped by one of Dorothy's privately hired mercenaries. What had happened? She wouldn't believe that Heero was dead. She couldn't believe it. But Dorothy looked so pleased.

Her hand fumbled near the belt loop of her captor. Her fingers brushed across the handle of the knife he had sheathed in a leather scabbard. She almost had it. If she could get just…

"Well, Miss Relena," Dorothy said, putting away the cell phone. "It seems that you are not so precious after all to William Cole."

"I don't care what happens to me," she seethed. "I won't let you get away with this! My own life doesn't matter to me right now."

"It never did where Heero's life was concerned," Dorothy sighed, and rolled her eyes to the corner of the room before smiling at Relena. "Kind of bizarre really since he lives for you."

Relena found she was unable to speak.

Dorothy was ignoring her anyway. She ordered all the guards except one—the one holding Relena—out into the hall. "I have just been informed that we have guests," she explained to her soldiers. "We will need to take care of it immediately."

Duo and Sally exchanged glances. "Noin?" Sally whispered. Duo looked a little green.

"Take them out swiftly," Dorothy commanded her men. "They will probably attack as soon as they see you coming out of this room. Don't give them the chance. When you've cleared the hallway, return here. We will be departing as soon as it's done."

Anxiety ran throughout Releans's body like there were tiny bubbles bursting in her blood. She turned her head, watching and telling herself exactly what she had to do if she was going to save anyone, especially Heero. She could almost reach the knife in her captor's belt.

Dorothy's guards destroyed the lock on her door by hitting it with the butt of their guns until the entire knob fell off. Two of them together opened the door and nodded to each other as the remaining three leaped into the hallway, guns blazing in rapid fire.

Relena closed her eyes, her hand wrapping solidly around handle of the knife, her wrist at an awkward angle. All at once, she felt calm. She withdrew the weapon swiftly, the blade cold against her forearm. The steel caught the light as it cut the air, glinting with menace. Dorothy's head turned, blonde hair swirling like a curtain of sun bleached wheat.

"Don't!" Dorothy said, and rushed in to stop her. Dorothy grappled with Relena, her hands batting away the blade, seizing it from Relena's control. Trapped as she was, Relena could do little to stop her, but the blade slashed Dorothy's arm across the wrist in the struggle, just missing her artery. Dorothy staggered back, bleeding, white-faced, but with the bloody knife clutched in her fist.

"Don't ever!" she said, shaking the knife at Relena with the blade pointed up. She panted, wiped sweat from her brown, and shakily set the knife on the night stand. She clutched her wrist to stop the bleeding. "Heero wouldn't want you to kill anyone," she said.

Relena felt weak suddenly, a curious numbness running up her arm from the elbow to her wrist. "I don't understand." She felt as if there was no air in her lungs. Lights popped before her eyes. She breathed, and the lights receded.

Dorothy's men, all five of them, returned to the room. "Mission accomplished, commander," the leader of them said stoically. Two of the guards remained at the door, weapons at the ready. The leader removed a roll of gauze from his breast pocket and carefully wrapped Dorothy's wrist.

"I'm all right," she said in response to their concerned looks, and gestured to the mercenary with his arms now even tighter around Relena. He hadn't budged throughout the scuffle, sticking to his orders to hold her no matter what. "Tie her up with them," Dorothy said, gesturing to Sally and Duo. "We are getting out of here."

Dorothy's men did as she instructed. Relena was tied up with Duo and Sally, her wrists bound behind her with rope, all three of them sitting on the bed like toads on a log. Relena was still in a daze, bewildered as to what had just happened, and having no idea what was to happen next. And yet…

It seemed to her instincts that Dorothy was treating them with extraordinary kindness. She knew it suddenly but surely, the same way she had known Heero was kind when she first laid eyes on him, despite all observation that belied her intuition. But should she trust herself? She had been wrong before.

Before she could sort out her feelings, Dorothy's soldiers were climbing back out the window. The first leaned out the window sill and pointed some sort of device toward the top of the building. She was startled when he climbed up the outside of the wall rather than down. All of the soldiers followed suit, heading (she assumed) for the roof.

Dorothy was second to last to leave. She approached Relena on the bed and leaned in close to her ear where Duo and Sally could not hear her. Her pale blonde hair framed her face, her eyes a startling glacier blue.

"Heero is alive," Dorothy whispered. "Cole is dead and your people are coming. When they get here, tell them that they will find Heero, Zechs, and Wufei in the cellar under the floor of the A sector in the west wing. Good luck, Miss Relena."

Before Relena could respond, Dorothy Catalonia clambered out the window. Like the others, she went up, scaling the building with the aid of some unknown device she must have had attached to her person. The last of the guards followed behind her. Relena thought she heard what sounded like the whirling of chopper blades over her head.

"They're escaping!" Sally fumed. "Do you hear that?"

Relena could hardly speak. She didn't know why, but she believed Dorothy, and relief flooded through her system like a tonic, loosening all her muscles and easing the strain in her chest. "It's okay," she said. "Dorothy is on our side after all. Heero…" she felt tears pooling in the ducts of her eyes. "Somehow Heero…"

At that moment, soldiers burst into the room. Seven or eight of them filed through the broken doorway and arranged themselves like a firing squad, guns leveled at the bed and the window, bullet-proof masks lowered over their faces.

"Oh, God, I can't take much more of this!" Duo cried, and jerked his legs until he somehow slipped completely out of his bonds. He rolled off the bed and landed on a crouch on the floor with a gun in his hand.

"Whoa, Duo!" Sally said, and there was laughter in her voice. "These are…"

They were Preventor soldiers, armed and ready, but not to shoot them. As soon as they assessed that Sally, Duo, and Relena were the only occupants, they lowered their weapons. The leader pulled off her mask. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at them.

"Well if it isn't Duo Maxwell, leaping before he looks."

"Lucrezia Noin," Duo muttered, and put away the gun as he rose to his feet. Relena wondered where he had picked up the weapon. Had he stolen it from one of Dorothy's guards? Had he, like her, been waiting all this time for the right opportunity? It was unneeded. She knew, though she could not say how, that Heero had arranged it like this.

"Glad to see you're all right," Noin said. "Really glad."

The Preventor soldiers rushed in to untie Sally and Relena, slicing through the ropes Dorothy's guards had used to bind their hands together.

"We haven't found Cole yet," Noin explained as Sally and Relena were cut loose, "but everyone else in this place has been fleeing before us like minnows. All the hallways are practically deserted. We came right through with no resistance, and in the last few minutes I've been seeing mercenaries high-tail it and run at the sight of us. I just hope that Zechs—"

"Noin," Relena interrupted. "Cole is dead. Heero, my brother, and Wufei are alive. They are in a cellar hidden by a floor board in the A sector of the west wing."

Everyone turned to stare at her. Duo's large blue eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Dorothy told me," Relena said. It was hard to keep from smiling. "She's behind the evacuation too. I don't know why she tried to deceive us, or fully what it going on, but she's on our side…"

"Dorothy's here?" Noin muttered.

"Yeah," Duo said. "Except she was commanding Cole's men."

"Well, she's apparently commanded them all to run away," Noin said. "We haven't had to engage anyone at all. But Heero and Zechs and Wufei may not know that. Let's go see if they are where she says they are. Hopefully…." She shared a look with Relena, one that Relena immediately commiserated with. Hopefully their men were alive and well and waiting for them.

The Preventor soldiers issued Sally and Duo semi-automatic rifles at Noin's instruction and the whole party left the honeymoon suite together. Relena was never so happy to leave a room, though she still felt a little claustrophobic as the only unarmed person walking in the center of a battalion.

They made their way through the deserted halls of Cole's mountainside mansion with no incidents. The gleaming tiles and white-washed walls recorded the echoes of their footsteps as they passed. Whenever they did see people, it turned out to be another unit of Preventors making a sweep and investigating every nook and cranny of the compound for hidden dangers or remaining resistance.

When they reached the A sector of the west wing (Relena had little idea where they were, but the Preventors were following some sort of schematic blueprint) she felt her heart begin to race. The mission was over, or it was almost over, and Heero was close by. Since they knew where to look, it didn't take long for Noin's people to find the hidden floor board. Relena waited to one side, still under guard, as two of Noin's soldiers lifted a row of faulty floor tiles, revealing a hole carved in the ground with a staircase leading into a pit. The underground cellar was lit by light bulbs in hanging lamps, and a red glow emanated from an iron pot near a table where hot coals seemed to be simmering.

She could just make out the faces of her brother and Wufei deeper in the room, as well as another soldier who seemed to be one of Cole's, though he was unarmed. And there was Heero looking up at her from the bottom of the stairs, shirtless, beautiful, and bandaged.

Relena stopped her voice from calling out his name, and waited at the top of the stairs with trembling fingers as Sally, Duo, and the Preventors rushed down to aid their comrades. There was a cacophony as many exclamations were made over the state of the three men, but from the sounds, Relena had the impression that at least no one was dying or in immediate distress.

Relena stood back as they climbed to the top. Wufei and her brother came out first. Milliardo embraced her in a rare display of affection when he reached the top of the stairs, grabbing her about the shoulders and kissing her forehead. He said something about worrying for her safety and being pleased that she was unharmed. He appeared likewise unharmed, and given that, Relena had eyes mostly for Heero, who climbed out last, and had to be aided by Duo.

"Heero, you're bleeding," she said, and slipped out from under Milliardo's arm to Heero's side. His torso was wrapped in bandages, but he was bleeding a little through the gauze beneath the ribs. Up close, she could see it wasn't just one wound. He was burned too. A strip of skin across his chest just beneath the collarbone looked as if it has been scalded, and there was a curious, ugly red circular mark just under that. "Heero," she whispered, and touched the flesh around the marks.

"Yep, he's been shot again," Duo said glibly. "And…." He looked sideways at the burns and trailed off.

"I'm fine," Heero said, and gently pushed Relena away from him by the shoulders. She shuffled backwards, a chill running down her spine as Heero stepped passed her and toward Noin, leaving her by herself.

"What happened down there, Heero?" Noin asked.

"I killed Cole," he replied, "as soon as Dorothy confirmed that Relena was safe and the nuclear waste had been contained. Wufei took out the other guard. I assume the rest of Cole's people are on the run."

"So it's true then. That Dorothy—?"

"Yeah," Heero interrupted. "I'll brief you all in full when we get back. Right now, consider any information about Dorothy to be classified." He glanced circumspectly at the number of people around them, especially the mercenary that had been under Cole's command, though he stood under guard some distance away with an ashen face. "I need to be stitched up," Heero continued. He looked at Duo's leg. "So do you, apparently. How fast can we get transport out of here?"

"I've already called them," Noin said.

"But why didn't you tell us?" Duo demanded. "Heero?"

Heero moved away from them all, holding his side as he walked, though whatever pain he felt didn't show on his face. Duo followed him, trotting up to his side and arguing with Heero about something Relena couldn't make out. Half in a daze, she looked for somewhere to sit down and saw a wicker chair by the wall next to an ostentatious statue of a woman in a Greek gown staring hard-faced at the opposite wall.

Relena sat down beside the statue, feeling a little in the way now that the mission was over. It was over. She folded her hands in her lap, hiding the diamond ring on her finger, and composed herself, breathing deeply of the conditioned desert air and trying to relax. Duo had eased Heero down on a bench just down the hall. He didn't look her way once as the Preventors brought him salve for his burns and his black shirt from below to put on over his head. Someone inspected his gun wound and declared that it needed stitching, but since it was wrapped tightly and a clean wound, it could wait at least until they got outside and to the trucks where they had better supplies.

It was Milliardo who escorted Relena off the premises of Cole's estate. Night had fallen across the desert, shrouding the mountains surrounding them in dark shadows like a blanket tossed across the earth. The moon hung in the sky overhead, a half sphere of silver shining brightly in a cold, crisp, and airy night sky.

Several vehicles awaited them at the entrance as they made their way through the foyer and out to the plaza, with its manmade lawn and driveway full of expensive cars. Noin met with the captains of each of the teams as they emerged with their units to check in and report. A number of Preventor officers were stationed to stay behind until a permanent arrangement could be made regarding the nuclear waste under the mountain. Meanwhile, Relena was loaded into one of the trucks with Milliardo, Wufei, and Sally as her guard. Heero and Duo climbed into a different truck with the medics to be treated.

The ride back to the plane was uneventful. Relena found herself staring out at the desert scenery, watching the figures of wind-blown rock zoom past under the cover of darkness. They had only been in this country for a number of hours, but it felt like years, or lifetimes. Everything was different going back than when they had come. Besides the scenery, her mind was absent its blur of anxious thoughts and feelings. She felt only a strange sense of detachment. She looked at the sky as where the stars twinkled above the mountains, commiserating with what she felt presently was the death of the day.

"Oh, it's beautiful out here," Sally said.

Relena nodded, but didn't reply.

At the airfield, they boarded the plane in single file. Relena took a window seat and settled in for the flight. She wondered if Heero would sit beside her, but he elected a place several rows in front of her where he could stretch out across three seats. Newly stitched and re-bandaged, he slept most of the ride back. When he was awake, he stared out the window without talking to anybody, watching the clouds drift beneath them as they flew above the Atlantic. Then he climbed into the pilot's cabin. Relena tried to avoid thinking that he wanted to sit somewhere away from her eyes. She wondered instead if he intended to ask to fly the plane, or if he merely had something to say to her brother. She didn't inquire. She fell asleep not long after pondering it.

When they landed, Relena had to be shaken awake. It was Heero shaking her, the touch of his hand gentle on her shoulder. "Relena," he whispered. She opened her eyes and stared into his. She sat up, grabbing onto his wrist.

"Heero," she began, her heart thumping in her chest.

He interrupted her. "Une will want to debrief you when she's done with the rest of us. Do you think you can see her before you go home?"

Relena could only stare at him. His eyes were tranquil now, deep blue like the ocean under twilight, but they were not windows to his soul; they were more like mirrors. She could see her reflection in his pupils and nothing else. "Yes," she answered.

He turned and walked away from her. Without looking back, he disembarked from the plane. Everyone else in the cabin stared. Duo's mouth hung slightly open. Sally shot her a concerned look. Relena tried to avoid their eyes. She wanted to call out Heero's name, but she wouldn't have known what to say when he turned, especially in public. Even if he loved her, he might never admit it, and if he didn't, what could he possibly say now that would ease her suffering? She closed her eyes. The mission first. She had to debrief, and when that was complete, she would go home and feel everything she was not allowing herself to feel now.

As it turned out, Une had a number of questions for her. She wanted to know if Relena was all right first and foremost, which Relena answered in as straightforward a manner as she always did whenever there were concerns about her person. Of course she was fine. Une apologized exceedingly for any part she had in deceiving Relena during the mission, especially where Heero's part in it was concerned, and stressed the importance of the decisions that had been made. Relena nodded her way through the interview. It was no different than many of the meetings she had had throughout the years, where diplomacy and professionalism came first and her personal feelings second.

"Do you know where I can find Heero?" she asked when it was done.

Une sighed. "No. He came in just long enough to tell me that he was taking a month off, maybe more, but at least a month no matter what. He didn't give us a choice really. He just said he would be gone and not to look for him. I'm…" She closed her eyes. "I'm really sorry, Relena. I thought…"

"That's okay," she replied quickly. "What about Dororthy?"

"No idea," Une said. "But rumor has it that she boarded a space transit to the Colonies. Given what Heero told me, we have no choice but to let her go."

"What _did_ Heero tell you, if you don't mind my asking?"

Une scoffed. "Not nearly enough! Just that Dorothy was acting according to orders he's been giving her, apparently since before she got involved with us, or Cole. I don't know how far back their relationship goes on this particular mission. Duo said something about it being months, which meant he knew about Cole before we did. He also told us not to bother about that second mole in our operations. We apprehended Douglas Richmond the moment we had confirmation of the mission's success, but apparently it was Heero who tipped Dorothy off that we were after her." She shook her head in disbelief. "Anyway, he made it clear that he's not going to take orders from me now that the mission is complete, not that that is anything new. Heero has always operated alone on most accounts. He helps out when we need him and keeps in touch generally, but otherwise…." She shrugged. "He's not even on the payroll. Did you know that? We pay him as a contractor. He charges more than anyone else here."

Relena didn't know what to say. She had known Heero operated alone. Most of the pilots did, actually, except Wufei, who was a permanent part of the Preventor force on Sally's team. Trowa's commitment seemed to be seasonal, Duo pitched in when he was in town, and Quatre wasn't involved at all. Heero came in for special requests.

"Can I be excused now?" she asked.

Une let her go.

As Relena waited for her driver to take her home, she thought about what Dorothy had said about how Heero lived his life for her. She always knew he cared for her, and certainly he had tried to be considerate of her feelings. But what she suspected now was something that she had always feared—that it was the idea of her, and not the actual her, that Heero loved. What she meant to the world, and what she accomplished on behalf of the world, was what Heero wanted most to protect.

"But I won't cry," she said aloud to herself, staring at the buildings and the skyline that was familiar to her. "I won't."

She knew she would, though, as soon as no one was around to see. Although what she did was important, and something she could never ever give up, she had also wanted someone in her life to understand and love her. Her work made her a politician. Her heritage made her a princess. Her critical acclaim made her a celebrity. She had just wanted to be a human being and a woman too. And both the human part of her and as the part of her that gave her life to the world loved Heero Yuy.

* * *

Quatre had not expected to have a guest at his private villa in the Colonies, but he had quickly set the table and ordered dinner as well as champagne when he learned who was visiting.

Dorothy Catalonia arrived on his doorstep, without a retinue anywhere in sight, and asked to see him alone. He dismissed the servants and the guards immediately. He knew it was safe. Beyond his own intuition, Trowa had called him as soon as the mission team arrived back at headquarters to let him in on the news. He had been right about her, which was a relief. Although the details weren't clear, it seemed that Dorothy had assisted the Preventor effort rather than betrayed it—she had just done so without their knowledge.

Dorothy looked refined in a dress. She wore white very well. It softened her features and brought out the gold highlights in her hair. Her dress had an airy, flowing linen skirt with a bodice and straps over her pale shoulders instead of sleeves. She dismissed his champagne and asked for red wine, which he provided at her request.

Over appetizers and cabernet, she had quite a story to tell him.

"I didn't know you worked so closely with Heero," Quatre confessed after they had been talking for a while, "but I'm glad to hear that you're on our side."

"You were right in your assessment of me," Dorothy said, her chin cupped in her hand, one elbow on the table. The way she said it made him think it had a great deal of significance to her. Quatre suspected it was a turning point for her, but he was as accustomed to his ability to understand people as she was to deceiving them, so he merely shrugged.

"Why did you do it?" Quatre asked. "I can't help but think you had a reason."

"Well," she said, "Heero approached me, you know, but I was already aware of the situation. It was partly a coincidence that we were both monitoring Cole. Heero was aware of his obsession with Miss Relena. I was interested in his gundanium factory. We traded information, and that's how it started."

"Ah," Quatre said, making an intuitive leap to what—to him—was an obvious conclusion. "Because you hate war."

She smiled. "You might be the first to say that, but yes. I hate war. I also understand people like me who also hate it, but who will use it because they hate it, for the same misguided reasons that I did. Those people will hurt others in the process. Violence begets violence. Treize was right about that. It is a cycle that has always existed and always will. People can choose to change that, of course, as they have done under Miss Relena's guidance, but there will always be deviants, and the more powerful weapons we have, and the easier technology makes using them, the more dangerous the world will become. That is why people like Heero and yourself are necessary. It is the same for me. I can't stand that these factories exist, much less that they are owned by people like Cole. I wanted to do something about it. If Cole didn't sell to me, who might he sell to? That thought kept me up at night. But, you know, I had to be careful."

"I'll bet," he said. "He wouldn't sell it to you if he didn't think you were trustworthy, and he wouldn't think that unless you made him believe you and he had the same ideologies, or the same objectives. It was convenient, then, that you could play off your relationship with Miss Relena."

"Precisely. Of course, Heero was absolutely against my telling her a thing about it."

Quatre just shook his head. Of course not.

"But why didn't you tell the Preventors?" he asked. "They could have been helpful."

"The best-kept secrets are those never shared," she replied dismissively. "Besides, Heero knew there were moles in the Preventor organization. We just didn't know who, or how many. There's always the possibility of information being leaked, even by those you trust. I stepped in to volunteer my services only when it became apparent that they would need us, and I had to do it through Cole, and with Heero's compliance, which made the whole situation all the more precarious. Still, it was safer the fewer people there were to be concerned about."

"I see. And now? From what I hear, your assistance in this case has been classified. Don't you worry what that might mean for you?"

She smiled. "No. This is the way it had to be. Cole isn't the only one out there to worry about. It is fortunate that my allegiances are still considered…ambiguous. I am equally trusted, or distrusted, by all sides. Only a handful of people really know what went wrong with Cole's operation in Nevada. Those in doubt can be convinced that a crazy old coot like Cole was destined to fail, and that as his hired commanding officer, I did the only sane thing in aborting after his death and saving the lives of his men. After all, I got what I wanted, and held up my end of the deal until it was no longer viable to do so. No one else would do differently. As far as the world is concerned, that is all that happened."

Quatre poured her another glass of wine. "That's amazing, Dorothy. You are a remarkable woman."

She shrugged. "It was an easy play. Cole's aims were ridiculous from the beginning, and he is far too trusting of those he considers to be 'just like him,' people with money and a noble heritage and whatnot. But as you and I both know, there are others out there who are not so crazy, and they would be even more dangerous if certain conditions should arise. I can be useful to all of you, and Miss Relena especially, in dismantling any more threats of war that crop up during our lifetimes." She smirked. "After all, I'm now part of the privatized club that owns a weapons factory."

"Sounds lonely," Quatre sighed. "I admire your pluck, but those people can't be very kind. I would think you would find their company tiring, even if you are socializing with them for the good of the world."

She smiled at him, blue eyes sparkling like aquamarines from across the table. "Well, I suppose that's true. But now that you mention it, you own one too, don't you? The Winner family has always had a weapon's factory. That makes you part of the club, and gives me ample reason to visit, if say, I thought I might be interested in buying it from you."

"But I'm not selling!"

"Well," she said, raising her glass to a toast, "let's just keep that between us."

* * *

The End…?

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, it's not QUITE over! I miscalculated how long the scenes would take (I believe I mentioned that as a possibility). Maybe this is kind of a weird stopping point, but it was 27 pages!! That just seemed obnoxiously long. Mizaya was like "holy crap" when I sent it to her for edits. Anyway, the main story is over, but an epilogue remains. It is already written and will be uploaded really soon! (Tuesday or Wednesday). I wanted to upload this whole thing at the end of last week, but with edits... Oh well. I hope uploading on a Monday doesn't mean no one will review it!

**A note on Dorothy and Quatre:** 4xD isn't a preferred pairing of mine, but some people like it. I imagine them more as friends myself (someone nice in Dorothy's life to keep her on the level), but I left it open-ended, so it could be anything. I also just really wanted to put Quatre in the fic more, and I needed Dorothy to explain herself to _someone_.

Please review this part! (I really hope it meets approval because I kind of stressed about that...)

Then move right along to the epilogue... --


	13. Epilogue

Welcome to the end of this 1xR Gundam Wing fanfic. May the fandom live forever! It has been a pleasure writing this story. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Final Mission Status

By Zapenstap

Epilogue

When Relena finally returned home, she was entering a zombie-like state of mechanized movement and fuzzy awareness. It felt…typical, but this time Heero wouldn't be in her kitchen making dinner, not that she was hungry.

Standing on her doorstep with her key in hand, she recalled with a sick feeling the state of her home. The décor that had been altered to accommodate Heero's presence in the house would still be there. And that frightening hawk that she hated so much would glare at her with its penetrating glass eyes every time she went through her paperwork in the study. How long would it take her to change it all back? Did she even want to?

Relena took a deep breath and turned the key in the lock. She was ready for a shower at any rate, maybe a hot bath, and a cup of tea if she had the energy to brew it. Stepping through the threshold, she shut the door behind her and looked up.

There was a box in the center of her living room just beyond the entryway. In the box was that stuffed hawk from the library, staring at her upside down.

She took off her shoes and ran several steps into her living room, scanning her house for other changes. There were wires everywhere, dangling from her walls and shelves and cupboards. "Who's here?" she called. Her heart fluttered. "Heero? Duo?"

A closer inspection revealed that a second, smaller box was positioned behind the first. It was filled with dozens of some kind of mechanical devices. It took her a moment of staring at them before she realized they were tiny cameras.

"Hello?" she called again, and turned the corner into her kitchen.

A step ladder leaned against her wall beside her refrigerator. Heero stood on the top step, his thighs pressed against her countertop and his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He was reaching up to the top of her refrigerator with a pair of pliers and a screwdriver, removing, it seemed, the cameras in her kitchen.

He turned to look over his shoulder at her when she entered the room. There was something funny about his eyes, but she couldn't decide what it was. "This is the last one," he said.

Relena's stomach was trembling. Turning away from him, she removed the teapot from its place next to the stove and filled it with water while Heero climbed down the ladder. She set the pot on the burner and turned it to high, just to have something to occupy her with him in the room.

"I don't suppose…" she began.

"Would you mind making me a cup as well?"

She blinked. "Not at all. Would you like honey?"

"No. Plain, please."

He walked passed her with the camera. She supposed he was heading back to the living room to deposit it in the box. While he was gone, Relena mechanically fetched two teacups and two saucers from the cupboard and set them both a place at the dining table where they had eaten meals together every night earlier this week. She stood staring at one of the teacups in a daze until the whining of the kettle pulled her attention back to the kitchen.

Heero returned a moment later, seating himself in his usual place at the end of the table where the teacup was waiting for him in its saucer. Relena brought the kettle to him and poured hot water from the teapot's arcing spout into the ceramic cup. She stared at the hot water swirling in the center like a tiny whirl pool as if it mesmerized her. She was willing to look at anything to avoid looking at Heero or think about how confused she felt by his proximity. Heero selected Earl Gray from her assortment of teas on the table and steeped it in silence while she poured herself a cup and sat down across from him.

He thanked her, but she couldn't respond. They drank in silence.

"I suppose you're angry with me," he said at length, and set his cup down on the saucer.

"Angry with you?" Now that they were speaking, angry didn't begin to describe the array of emotions threatening to beat her into incoherence, but she noticed a sharp edge had crept into her tone at the suggestion. She supposed he must be right. She was _at the very least_ angry.

"I thought so," he said. His eyes were still on her, those penetrating eyes that gave her chills and warmed her heart both at once. He closed them when she looked up. She supposed he must have seen the flash in her own. "You're angry with me for ignoring you earlier, on the way back from America. I'm sorry for that."

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

"I had to remove the cameras. I trust your meeting with Une went well?"

She didn't say anything.

Heero opened his eyes. "I know we have to talk," he said, "But I don't like it when they're watching us. I wanted to wait until I could talk to you alone."

Relena set down her teacup. "Go on."

"About this week," he said. "Everything that happened is my fault."

"What do you mean?"

"I knew about Cole months ago. I was working with Dorothy on getting him to cede his weapons factory to her general estate. You might have been better prepared if I'd told you, but I didn't want to bring an element of political pressure to the negotiations, and you might have been legally obligated to do something if you knew about it."

"Oh." That was what he wanted to talk about? "I see."

"By the time the Preventors got involved, the situation had already escalated past the point where this situation could have been averted. Dorothy informed me that Cole was prepared to send kidnappers after you. We had to head that off. Then we discovered there was a mole in the Preventor unit—at least one—and that made it difficult to maneuver effectively. Anything could have been bugged. It wasn't my first choice to have things work out as they did, but given the circumstances, it turned out pretty well."

"Pretty well," she said. Heero had been working with Dorothy on this _for months_, and he had been constantly monitoring the possibility of their being watched—until now. He must have been extraordinarily on top of things to manage that kind of surveillance. To know about the moles in the Preventor outfit before the Preventors themselves, he would have needed time to test them. "You must have been keeping track of me for a long time," she concluded, "to have discovered Cole's intentions, I mean. You must have heard about his interest in me long ago."

"I've been keeping track of you for years. You know that."

She nodded. She did know that. Even though she didn't see him, she had always known he was out there. She would often look at the stars, especially when she was in Space, thinking about where he might be. Now that the subject had been broached, it was time to ask what she really wanted to know. "Heero, Dorothy said something about you today. She said that you lived your life for me. Is that true?

Judging by his facial expression, he didn't appear to find this question awkward or unexpected. His eyes remained on her face. They were clear of all doubt and deceit. "It's true," he replied.

She nodded and lowered her eyes to stare at the table. It wasn't an answer, given the possibility that living for her was merely an admittance that he worked for the peace of their world, the same as she did, and recognized that her position as a world leader was instrumental in that effort. This, she realized, was the conversation she had always wanted to have with him. She couldn't look him in the face, but she had to know.

"Is it really me?" she asked, and trusted that he understood the intention behind her question. "Or is it just what I represent?"

She looked up. His eyes hadn't changed at all. They were still clear and bright, a shade of blue like the heavens after twilight. If anything, his expression was softer.

"It's the same thing, Relena."

"I don't understand."

"Either way, it's you I am protecting. You are who you are. There is little difference between the choices a person makes and the person who makes them. We all live according to what we believe and how we feel and what we do. You are more aware of that than most. We are the same that way."

"But do you love me?"

He closed his eyes. "You can't help but love someone you work for and care for and worry about as much as I work for and care for and worry about you."

He loved her. He was saying it strangely, but she thought she understood his meaning. He didn't separate the difference between his love for her person and his love for her work. It was the same thing to him. One came with the other. If that was the truth, then he had loved her for years. Since she had met him, the choices she made had led her to recreate herself as someone who could live out what she believed. That he understood her so deeply and loved her for this reason…. She wanted to smile, but something held her back. What did it mean if, as he implied, it had always been that way?

She looked down at her hands. "But then why…?" she began, the emotion welling up from her heart seemed to cause the muscles in her face around her eyes and jaw to scrunch until they hurt. "Why have you kept so distant? And so silent? If for all these years…"

"I have responsibilities," he said. "There are things I need to do. It's been the same for you. There really hasn't been time…"

"And this past week?" she asked. "Your feelings this past week? The way you've treated me, and the things you've said. What of that? Was that just for the cameras?"

"It was never for the cameras."

"But the mission…"

"Of course the mission comes first, but in this case, I didn't have to stray far from my true feelings to do that. Loving you wasn't difficult. What was so difficult was having to scale it down."

"Scale it down?"

"Hmm." He took a sip of his tea. "Because we were being watched, propriety has been paramount."

In a flash, she knew exactly what he meant. She felt it too, had struggled against it all this time. All at once her muscles loosened. He loved her. He really loved her. He loved her _more_ than he had acted for the camera, had felt more deeply for her than he could openly convey. If for all these years… Her insides trembled.

Then a leap of intuition seized her. "What did you say to my brother on the plane?" she asked. Heero loved her, but did that mean he would stay with her? He had always left before. Always. What had he needed to explain to Milliardo? "You left the cabin to talk to my brother. What did you need to explain to him?"

"That I think you need a vacation," Heero replied.

She blinked, reined in by this response. "What?" That wasn't what she had guessed at all.

"I think you need to get away from here, and your work, and go someplace calm."

She answered in some confusion. "I can't do that. I've been stationed here too long as it is. I have a four-week tour planned for the Colonies next week."

"Move it back a few more weeks."

"Why?" He was asking _her_ to leave? She didn't understand. "What are you talking about, Heero?"

"You're tense," he said.

"Of course I'm tense! I just survived a terrorist trying to marry me."

"You were tense before that. I know. I've been with you all week."

"It's not my job! If I've been tense, it's because of you! " she snapped. "I've been tense because I didn't know how you felt about me. I'm tense because I love you and I'm afraid you are going to leave and I'll lose you forever." Tears threatened to flood her eyes, but she held them back angrily. "I still think you will, even now after all you've just said. I can't help but think that all these 'things you have to take care of' will take you away from me."

She stopped speaking, shutting her mouth like a trap. She hadn't meant to say all of that.

Heero's eyes were as soft as she had ever seen them. He smiled at her. "Relena, you're the only thing I have left to take care of. When I said you need a vacation, I was planning to go with you."

It took her a moment to process that.

"You should pack for hot weather."

She put a hand to her forehead. "Heero, if this is something other than what it seems to be, please stop."

"What does it seem to be?"

"It seems like you are saying that you and I…." She shook her head in disbelief. She wanted to believe it. She was afraid to believe it. Self-defense mechanisms long in place to protect her threw up roadblocks to suppress the rampant run of unbridled hope. "How would we get away?" she asked, defaulting to the practical as the romantic evaded her grasp.

"We'll fly."

"But…"

"We won't go to a commercial airport. I have my own plane, more than one actually. I'll fly us. We will disappear."

He _would_ have his own plane! "But I have a press conference on Monday. If I don't show up, and with all the rumors flying around..."

"You can still make your press conference…remotely. I can set that up for you too. Unless you would rather spend the weekend here first, then fly out after your conference. But that will be much more difficult to keep secret. We have a small window now with which to escape, if you want to come with me."

This was real. He was being serious. She leaned forward across the table. "What do I tell everyone? I can't just disappear after letting it slip that I've been married in secret. Unless.." She could reveal that there was no marriage and it was just a deserved vacation after a stressful event, or… "Wait. Was it _you_ who tipped off the press?"

"No. That was Dorothy." He looked annoyed. "She thought—well, she saw the ring."

Relena looked down at her hand where her engagement ring—the one she had worn for the mission—sparkled on her wedding finger. "But it's a decoy," she mumbled. "It was necessary that I wear one, wasn't it? I thought it was on loan from a jewelry store. Didn't Sally pick it out?" She stared at the diamonds, sparkling brilliantly under the lamplight, and remembered suddenly that no one had told her where it had come from or who had picked it out. Heero had given it to her himself, but she had just assumed it was from one of the girls. "Oh my god!"

"I bought it," Heero said, again with that curious look on his face, the same one he had been wearing when she came in. It was almost like…anxiousness, as if he were waiting for something, something from her. "I bought it for you, ages ago. Une told me to find you a ring for the mission, but I already had this. You like it? You never said. We can take it back if you'd prefer something different."

She clutched her left hand to her chest. "I love it." It was a real ring. Did that mean the sentiment behind it was also real? Through the shimmer in her eyes, she could barely see Heero get up from the table. Instead of coming to her side, he walked away from her and into the kitchen to pour himself a second cup of tea.

"When?" she asked, pushing back her chair and following him. "When did you buy this?"

"A long time ago. I had a lot to work out before I could give it you. I was going to give it to you on your birthday, one of these years."

She stopped cold.

"One of these years!" she exclaimed. "You've had this ring for _years_?" Someday… some _year_, he had meant to give it to her. Some year! But Dorothy had seen it, and probably badgered him about it no doubt. No wonder she had been so confident! How deeply _had_ Dorothy been on her side? She must remember to send the woman a gift, anonymously of course, but Dorothy would know it was from her. In the meantime, there was this impossible man to deal with. "I can't believe you, Heero!"

"I told you, I had a lot to work out," he repeated. "But maybe I was over thinking things. For the longest time, I was unsure of my own feelings, and then I didn't know how you felt. You are a reserved person, Relena. You've matured into a lovely and kind woman, but you are a little hard to approach. You're traveling constantly too. You must keep your feelings close, because no one I talked to—other than the people we know mutually—had any inclination that you had a special regard for anyone. I've asked."

He had asked about her feelings? She tried to imagine it. He probably had asked the people on her staff or in her retinue, incognito of course, masquerading as a workman or a journalist or a technical operator or who knew what. "I have to be professional," she mumbled. She didn't realize how aloof she must have seemed in doing so. "It's part of my job."

"I know. Mine too. And I love that about you. You can keep secrets, especially on private matters, and you don't use them to injure people. You have a pure heart, Relena."

"So do you," she said quietly. "Or so I always thought."

They stared at each other for a moment in silence, standing by the stove in the kitchen, Heero with his hand on the handle of the teapot, Relena thumbing the diamond on her finger. Even though neither of them had mentioned a life together, she had the distinct impression that they had just proposed to each other.

"Relena," Heero said. "If I marry you, and I want to if you want to…"

She opened her mouth to say yes, absolutely yes, but he forestalled her. He took her hands, caressing her fingers. The physical touch made Relena's world suddenly hazy. But it wasn't the white fog of confusion; this haze was golden and soft and rosy. It was like a sunrise. She stared at Heero's face through eyes that suddenly felt heavy.

"When I marry you, you can't be so reckless with your life," Heero finished. "I heard what you did, or almost did. If you have children especially…" His face took on a slightly hardened, determined look. "And you shouldn't do to me what you did earlier this week."

Relena blinked her way out of the primrose path. "What?"

"That deal you made with Zechs. The backrub and the innuendos when you knew perfectly well I couldn't act on them. In the future, if you want something, ask for it. I didn't know what to do that night."

Relena recalled it all in a rush. "Oh!" she cried, blushing bright pink. She was about to apologize, but then it came to her why she had done it. The night before he had made love to her for the first time, then confused her when she found out it was on orders—well sort of on orders, it seemed now. But even so! Her emotions careened, turned, and streamed the other way, indignation rushing back like the crash of the tide. "You want _me_ to be more straightforward with _you_? I don't know how you can ask for such a thing, Heero! I really don't. After everything I've been through trying to sort out your feelings, I've just as much right or more to demand—!"

He pulled her into an embrace, his arms crushing her hair against her back. He kissed her, stifling her protests, his lips melting into hers, his eyelashes tickling her cheeks. Her protests subsided. He held her flush up against his body, his arms wrapping around her so that he could run his hands from her shoulders to the small of her back. When he released her, she was dizzy, having moved completely from infuriated to aroused to tranquil in a number of seconds. She laid her head against his chest, breathing deeply and listening to the steady pounding of his heart to orient her.

"So will you come away with me?" he whispered into her ear.

"What about the others?" she murmured. "My brother, and Noin. Duo…"

"I only told Zechs. He won't worry about you. As for the others, they are one reason I want to go away. Otherwise we'll be able to do nothing without an audience. This way they'll figure it out, and the world will talk about it, but we won't be here, and they'll get used to it. Eventually the commotion will die down. In the meantime, even after our trip, you and I can travel a lot. You'll have to anyway. We'll go to Space for your tour. I'll always be able to travel with you, Relena, unless I have somewhere particular to be."

Relena buried her face in Heero's shirt and breathed deeply. She didn't care anymore about rumors. In that moment, she didn't care about anything outside of this room. He was so warm. "When do we leave?" she asked. She was ready to go right now. "Tonight?"

"No," he said. "Not tonight, but before your conference." She felt his hands slip to her hips, which he tugged against his own. "Tonight, I'm taking you to bed, and loving you properly." She hugged him tighter. He chuckled. "Be gentle with me. I'm still wounded."

Her eyes flew open. "I almost forgot," she said. She had not been thinking of being gentle at all. She could be gentle, though. In fact, she wanted to be. She would be very sweet to him. The more she thought on it, the more she felt her cheeks and ears redden, but she smiled against his collarbone. She felt Heero's breath in her ear.

"I was thinking," he whispered, almost as a distraction, she thought, "that we would go to a secluded island somewhere. Maybe in the South Pacific, some place with a private villa on a beach that we could rent out. We could lie out under the stars, walk along the shore, go dancing, and…"—he kissed her neck—"other things like that."

Her fingers knotted in his shirt, but she pulled back slightly, still cuddled against his chest, but with enough room to look up into his face. "Dancing?"

He leaned over her, his hands holding her about the waist, a smile softening his features. She had never seen his eyes so kind. "I think I owe you a dance."

Duo couldn't believe the papers.

Every journalist in the country was in a state of frenzy. The paparazzi from every tabloid were going ballistic. The news reported that Relena Darilan had vanished from her home sometime between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon. No one seemed to know where the Vice Foreign Minister had gone, but her staff assured them all she was in communication and had reported that she was safe and would address the world Monday.

Rumors were flying in the meantime.

There were eye witnesses that said a branch of the government's defense division (some little outfit called the Preventors) had been seen escorting her away from the premises early Friday morning because of some threat to her person. Other sources said the threat had been abroad and she was called in to mediate.

Most seemed to think the trouble had been some kind of ruse. Miss Relena was secretly engaged, the tabloids reported with certainty. No, she was married. No, she _had_ been married, but was now separated. Some articles focused on the strange man she had been living with the past week. He was referred to as her new husband, her boyfriend, her bodyguard, or the guy she hired to remodel her house. No one really seemed to be sure. Only one paper suggested he was Gundam Pilot 01, and an answering editorial barked that that guy had died years ago.

Duo was still laughing. He couldn't believe it, but he pored over every update gleefully over breakfast.

"They got married!" he crowed to Trowa and Wufei and anyone who would listen. "I know they got married!"

Wufei smirked at him. Trowa hid a smile. Noin disavowed all knowledge, which confirmed the truth to Duo. He assumed Noin heard it from Zechs who must have been informed by either Heero or Relena before the couple escaped. Duo knew that Zechs knew something because the man was the only one with a stake in the affair who _wasn't_ going ballistic. He seemed rather content, in fact, and if Relena had actually disappeared he would have been tearing the world apart looking for her.

Duo missed Relena's Monday morning announcement in transit from Earth to Space, but his suspicions were confirmed when he arrived back at his home in the Colonies. The minute he walked through his front door, Hilde wanted to know who on Earth had shipped them a giant stuffed hawk. The postcard that came with it was addressed to him.

_Duo,_

_Thanks for your efforts, but we decided we don't need this. We'll probably visit you and Quatre when we return to Space later next month. The best to you and Hilde. Give everyone our love._

_1 & __R_

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A/N:

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story!! I love it, of course (and I was very excited to see comments in my inbox weighing 3K) There is nothing that warms a writer's heart like communal over a work.

Sadly, I probably won't write anymore 1xR for awhile. I am going to focus on one fic at a time as that seems to work better for me in terms of updating. It is easier because I don't have to "switch gears" to write different stories. Having completed this, my next focus-project is the Naruto fanfic White Rain. Also, in November 2008 I will be writing NO fics at all because I will be working on my novel for NanoWrimo (fantasy, not romance).

Please feel free to friend me on my Zapenstap livejournal (Zapenstap DOT livejournal DOT com).

Thanks to everyone!! It has REALLY been a lot of fun. Please be kind and review. Details are especially appreciated!


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